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If you're a bit confused about how much you should be wading in on your young adolescent's screen time then you're not alone. The truth is, there's been very little clear data to prove what we should and shouldn't be doing. Jonathan Haidt's book Anxiety Generation has turned the dial up on the whole subject and he's pushing hard for a ban on social media for younger teens because of the impact he says it has on them. Meanwhile, Natasha Devon is more keen on getting us parents to engage positively with our kids and teach them how to be their best selves online.

So who's right? A new study from the University of California, published in the journal Paediatric Research, looked at the behaviour of ten thousand 12-13 year olds, and it's given parents a clearer understanding of what we should be doing.

The most positive impact: is if we parents place limits on our own screen use, especially in front of our kids.

The most negative thing to do is using screen time as a reward or a punishment - because they found it tends to increase the desire to be on their screens. Which is exactly what Natasha Devon said in my interview about how to help your teens be their best selves online.

NEW STUDY:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-024-03243-y#Sec19

TOOL FOR CREATING A FAMILY MEDIA PLAN:
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/fmp/Pages/MediaPlan.aspx

MY INTERVIEW WITH NATASHA DEVON:
https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/42-social-media-and-how-to-help-your-teens-be-their-best-selves-online-with-natasha-devon-mbe/

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I don't have medical training so please seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping.

My email is teenagersuntangled@gmail.com
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Screen time for tweens and teens: The latest on what works and what doesn't. 95

Parenting Teens Untangled - Realistic, science-backed teen & tween parenting advice