Handling screen time

I led a table at a seminar for parents on tackling screen time, organised by my local secondary school.

For the first discussion, each of the ten parents at my table told a story to illustrate why we were there. We heard about ruined holidays, sexting, repeated arguments ripping apart families, and young people who wander around their home fixed to their hand-held games console. There was a shared sense of despair. Perhaps my group wasn’t representative, but there were eight other tables. I do not see much difference in stories from church families. It is always one of the top questions we are asked in parenting seminars. I suspect in church we might just be less honest about the size of the problem.

The data says that 91% of children in the UK have their own phone by the age of 11. More than half of children have seen porn by the age of 11. There has been a noticeable deterioration in mental health amongst teenage girls around the world since the arrival of Instagram. Nearly all social media channels need account holders to be 13, but the data says we find lying easier than patience. Screens are not just the next fad and not just a stage our children are going through.