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Clever Ways to Keep Your Kids Off Their Phones

By Jillian Quint

Here are some clever ways for you to encourage everyone in your family to put their phones and tablets away, and get back into the habit of joining in real family conversations and more meaningful activities together.

 

1) Keep the charging station downstairs
If kids are allowed to juice up in their bedrooms, they will definitely be on the Internet until the wee hours of the morning. Make everyone (yourself included) plug-in in a neutral spot such as the kitchen before heading upstairs for the evening.

2) Turn off the Wi-Fi after dark
Or just turn off your modem at a certain hour every night. Yes, it might affect your ability to stream Westworld, but haven’t you been meaning to read more books anyway?

3) Make your teens pay their own overage bills
Limit your data plan to whatever you think is reasonable and make  your children foot the bill if they go over their allotted usage.  Nothing motivates like money, right?

4) Have a “no phones in the car” policy
Car rides can be some of the best times to chat with your kids. Make a rule that nobody is allowed to take their phone out in the car.

5) Set a good example
This is probably the hardest advice to follow, but it’s so important  for raising socially engaged, non-phone-addicted little angels: Put down your own devices as much as possible. After all, monkey see, monkey do.

Julian Quint is the Managing Editor of PureWow, and an avid reader, wallpaper enthusiast and mother of two.

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