Technology

What to Know About Limiting Your Child’s Screen Time

Attention parents with “screeners”: The U.S. government has issued a public warning that scrolling through apps like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat can pose serious risks to children’s mental health. bottom.

and 19 page report, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said Tuesday that while social media offers young people benefits such as community ties, it also reduces the potential for cyberbullying, eating disorders, self-harm and content that encourages self-harm. said to be at risk of physical harm. other destructive behavior. Social media also negatively impacts exercise, sleep and other activities, he said.

What can parents do? One is to consider potential options for limiting your child’s screen time. Let’s go through them.

Mobile operating systems from Google and Apple offer free and effective tools to limit the amount of time you spend on your smartphone or tablet. These tools allow parents to monitor their children’s devices and set restrictions.

For Android devices, there is an app, Family Link, that must be downloaded from the Google Play Store. From there, the parent can set up her Google account for the software-monitored child. For parents who use iPhones and want to manage their child’s Android smartphone, there is also the Family Link app for iOS.

For iPhones, Apple’s iOS includes a tool called Screen Time, which also allows you to limit the amount of time you use your device. You can enable it within your iPhone’s Settings app. As per Apple’s instructions.

Both have advantages and disadvantages.

Google’s Family Link includes options to deny apps your child is trying to download and the ability to lock down your device at certain times, such as when your child is in bed between 9pm and 7am. and other useful functions.

However, Family Link has significant limitations. When the child turns 13, she can choose to “graduate,” as Google calls it, or remove the restrictions. At this age, your child reaches the minimum age in the United States to create a Google Account without parental consent.

If a parent wants to continue using restrictions, one workaround is to go to their child’s Google Account and change their age to under 13.

And when Apple’s Screen Time feature was introduced, we tested it in a week-long experiment. With this feature, parents can set time limits on their child’s iPhone for specific apps and categories of apps such as social networking and games. If your child runs out of time to use the app, they will be locked out. Parents can then have a conversation with their child to decide whether to allow more time on the app.

The downside is that parents who use this tool to monitor their phone usage can also easily circumvent restrictions using passcodes. And parents may find themselves addicted to screens more than their children.

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There are also third-party Android and iOS apps that allow parents to manage screen time, but should be used with caution. Some apps from unknown brands marketed as parental control apps are used by stalkers to track users’ location and even eavesdrop on them via microphone. This is a type of malicious software that security researchers call “stalkerware.”

Parents have plenty of resources to find reliable tools that work not only on phones and tablets, but also on computers. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that reviews products for families, found that: Custodio and net nanny Parents now have more control over their child’s device.

Social media companies also offer some features that remind users to stop scrolling. For example, on Instagram “Break” reminder Earlier this year, TikTok introduced its own tools to limit the amount of time spent within the app.

However, the effectiveness of these features is questionable. Many people, including teenagers, find that these tools can be easily overridden.

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