By Jeff Sheppard 20 May 2018 no comment 1315 Views

Children and teens today suffer stresses unique from previous generations.  The constant availability of phones may make them feel obligated to respond to their friends at all times.  Kids need breaks to rest and recharge just as adults do.

Follow these tips so your kids experience phones as useful tools rather than sources of problems.

The feeling of having to be “on” all the time compounds stress to a huge degree.  Let your children “blame” you and your rules if they must.  They should tell their friends that they are not available 24/7, particularly not during sleeping hours, homework time, or family time.  Teach your children to set healthy boundaries when it comes to using their phones.  Help them to enforce those boundaries.

Just like adults, kids and teens should not use their phones in bed.  Even if they don’t intend to stay up late texting, the bright light from the screen or the ping sound of alerts can throw off their sleep patterns.  Phones should be stored outside the bedroom.  Let them charge overnight in other rooms of the house.

It’s easy to be distracted by a phone when you’re out walking around.  Situational awareness is important for people of all ages, particularly kids.  Kids need to know who is around them, what those people are doing, and how close they are.  They need to be alert for dangers such as vehicles, obstacles, and holes.  Tell them to keep their phones in their pockets when they’re walking, biking or playing.

We posted an earlier blog about “text neck.”  This condition develops when muscles and joints are strained by spending too much time looking down at a screen.  If your child is complaining of a sore neck or other aches, it might not just be “growing pains.”  Chiropractic care is for people of all ages, including children.  If your child hasn’t been to see us for a maintenance visit lately, call Sheppard Chiropractic and Laser Healing at (506) 635-8182 or (506) 847-7172 to schedule their next appointment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *