A Cure for Your Kid's Smartphone Addiction
I probably don’t know you, but I can make the following statement with a high degree of confidence:
Your teenager is addicted to his or her smartphone. And it’s likely that you are just as addicted as your teenager is.
Over the past decade or so, most of our brains have become accustomed to the wonderful little dopamine rush that comes from checking our phones. It happens in thousands of different ways:
A notification that someone liked or shared something you posted.
Reaching the next level on insert game here.
New posts or “stories” on Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook.
Cat videos.
Whatever your vice, it is likely that you look to your smartphone to meet the need. And your smartphone always delivers. It’s the most shiny, most fresh, and most colorful thing you own. That’s why it’s so easy to get addicted.
There’s a simple but powerful remedy that might help all of us with our smartphone addiction.
I encourage you to watch this four minute video from The Wall Street Journal for the cure. It is absolutely genius in its simplicity.
Perhaps this simple adjustment to our phones’ settings will make it so our phones are no longer the most colorful and dynamic things we own. Maybe we will look up from our black and white devices and re-discover just how beautiful the world around us is. We can be with people and know that their faces and their souls and their stories are the most interesting thing in that moment.
I’m going to make this switch for a week and see what happens. You might want to do the same on your phone.
As for your teenager, you may have to “borrow” his or her phone, adjust the settings, and then, when they complain, insist that “the color card for your must be broken….it happens…..bummer.” They can probably figure it out, but t’s worth a shot.
Need some help talking with your teenagers about technology and its impact on how they see sex, relationships, and even themselves? These resources might help….
These books have been created to help tee up critical conversations between parents and teenagers. Check them out.