Screen time for your kids is inescapable, but what happens when the balance is thrown out of whack? What do we do when the line between healthy and addictive is crossed? Today, mothers Carolyn and Tessa talk about their experiences with technology and raising their kids in the digital age. Break the cycle and set realistic and healthy boundaries around tech with your kids with the useful and practical tips that both mothers share with us in this episode.

My guests today are Carolyn Savage and Tessa Stuckey. Carolyn runs exhaustedmama.com, writes and edits for the non-profit raisingfamilies.org, and is a mother to two girls.

Tessa Stuckey is a mother to 4 boys and a licensed professional counsellor specializing in teens and screens and the author of For the Sake of Our Youth.

How do we role model good tech behavior to our kids?

Carolyn shares her story about how she created a screentime contract for and encouraged open communication in the family.

Tessa shares how screens affect the development and mental health of our kids.

Using screens to soothe our discomfort.

Becoming role models for our children.

Tips for using tech around your kids.

Knowing when to cut back on your screen time to be able to engage with your family more.

The importance of self-awareness on your phone usage to address it.

 

“The tablet creates so much peace," Stuckey said. "So what I’m seeing is kids who are growing up with tablets, because they’re not learning how to cope. They’re lacking resilience and when they hit those hormonal years and their emotions get really, really big they have zero resilience to get through it. So all life stressors to them are unbearable. This is why the suicide rate has gotten so big for adolescents.”

 

tessastuckey.com

exhaustedmama.com 

raisingfamilies.org 

 

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