In this digital world, teens are spending most of their time scrolling the social media apps. So, most of the parents are very anxious about their teens’ health, careers and their teens’ weak connections with their parents. Thus, taking a break from social media scrolling becomes very significant to get your child away from this addiction.
If you are also a parent and worry about your teen’s social media addiction, then you don’t have to worry more. In this guide, you will learn how to support your teen taking a break from social media, their tips and benefits too, and at the end, you will get peace of mind. Thus, keep learning!
Are you or your teens addicted to social media?
Yes, mostly teens are addicted to social media. The activity of just scrolling and checking the social media accounts has become the most popular. People use social media because it seems entertaining and non-toxic.
But, in actuality, it becomes a problematic case. That behaviour is called social media addiction.
Let’s discuss some signs of social media addiction:
- When you are a social media addict, your emotional behaviour changes. And, you lose track of the time and realise it is way past your bedtime. Moreover, whenever you have no access to your account, you go into a depressed state and feel anxiety.
- Another sign of a social media addict is that the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before sleeping is check your social media accounts.
- Spending too much time on continuous scrolling without noticing it.
- When you neglect your family, your responsibilities and your career just to scroll on social media.
- When you are not sleeping properly and spend nighttime also on scrolling, it is also a sign of addiction.
- You don’t get interest in physical activities but prefer digital activities.
Pros and cons of social media
Alright! Social media use is emerging day by day. It also becomes a need for every person to lead in this modern digital world. Mostly people use it for beneficial tasks but it also has negative impacts. So, let’s discuss its pros and cons as well:
Pros of social media
- Connection: You know, with the use of social media you can communicate and interact with friends and family without any restriction.
- Learning: Next, you also get easy access to classes, seminars, and mentors for consultation.
- Opportunities: There are unlimited opportunities for jobs available on social media, so you can easily get this opportunity.
- Awareness: You know social media connects us to the whole world, so you can get awareness about which domain you want.
- Entertainment: Lastly, it is also the source of enjoyment; you can be entertained by seeing the creative content like memes and videos, on social media.
Cons of social media
- Addiction: The unlimited use of social media can make it difficult to sleep and also disturb your daily routines.
- Inferiority complex: You know there are too many things that are fake on social media; people show their luxury lifestyle that makes the viewers feel an inferiority complex.
- Cyberbullying: Next, the social negativity and online hatred can lead to depression.
- Privacy threats: Personal information can leak out, which is risky.
- Mental health: It also badly affects mental health with the consistent use of social media.
Use parental controls to manage your kid‘s screen time.
Why do teens need to take a break from social media?
A question can arise in your mind: what is the reason for teens taking a break from social media, right ? Let’s discuss some important benefits:
- Protect mental health
The first and foremost benefit is that a break protects your mental health. You know, mostly filtered-out posts are posted on social media that make you feel low self-esteem. But when you take breaks, it builds real confidence in your personality.
- Enhanced focus and sleep
Another benefit is that a break in social media usage enhances your focus and sleep. As you know, social media addicts consistently scroll the social media late at night. That act disturbs their sleep and focus. On the other hand, those who take gaps will enjoy proper sleep and so their focus is increased.
- Strengthen the real relations
Another most effective benefit is the development of a strong connection with the family. If you take gaps and give time to your family and friends, that behaviour fosters the relations.
- Decreasing stress and anxiety
You know social media is very stressful and has numerous notifications. Taking pauses helps you calm down and gives a sense of peace of mind.
- Promoting positive behaviors
Lastly, breaks provide an opportunity for other constructive activities such as reading, engaging in sports, or even outdoor recreation. Such activities provide benefits for the mind and body.
Tarjani Hindocha (MBBS from Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research) replied to the question “Why is social media harmful to teens’ mental health?” She said that social media was originally created for a good purpose, but over the years, it has lost its real meaning. It has made people lonelier than ever. Just texting and meetings on social media are not enough for a good, happy life. That’s why breaking from social media is really important.
What are the benefits of a social media detox for teens?
Well, the social media detox means taking a gap from the usage of social media apps. When you try to take a social media detox, it will feel difficult for you to get rid of it , but with the passage of time, you will see its amazing results. Let’s see some benefits of social media detox.
- Enhance creativity: The first advantage is that it boosts the creativity in teens. You know, without scrolling, the teen’s mind diverted towards the creative things. They will get interested in studying, creating something new and spending their time enjoying healthful hobbies.
- Minimises eye strain: Another important benefit is that the social media detox decreases the eye strain. You know, consistently scrolling for a long time on a screen causes tired eyes and headaches.
- Enhance self-discipline: Well, by taking a break from scrolling social media, it makes the teens self-disciplined. They manage their physical activities and digital activities within the boundaries and work with discipline.
- Encouragement for physical activities: You know well, whenever the teens spends less time on social media, then obviously they will go to spend that time for some physical activities like sports, exercise, etc.
How parents can assist minors in taking a break from social media？
Alright! It is very important for the parents to help their own children take a break from social media. But a question can be raised here: how can parents do that? It has proven to be difficult in recent decades, but there are some tips that are helpful for the addicted child to take a break easily.
- Engage in open dialogue.
The first and foremost strategy is to engage your child in your conversations. Tell them the bad effects of continuously scrolling on social media. Tell them how this bad habit affects your health and career. And also listen to the feelings of your child and talk with them politely. As they engage in your conversation, then they will get your point.
- Foster healthy routines
The next strategy is that you should create healthy routines to go out. You should plan outside games, take walks or spend time on your hobbies. Also go out for exercise and sports. You know these activities keep your child active and healthy and divert their attention from mobile scrolling.
- Assist with valuable tools
There are also some technology tools that help you control your child’s screen time. Yes! I’m talking about FlashGet Kids, which is the parental control app. You can use it to limit your child’s screen time and to block the harmful content. Thus, this tool is very helpful for parents and teens to take a break easily.
- Be a role model
Lastly, this strategy is very helpful to get your child to take breaks. You know teens follow their role models, so you have to become a role model for their child. If you minimise your own screen time and do mostly physical activities, your child’s mind will also be attracted towards those acts.
How to implement a social media break for your teen?
You know it is very tough to take away from the addiction of ongoing scrolling on social media. But if teens follow the right path , then they will get rid of this bad habit easily. There are some steps; if you implement them, then you will easily support your child in the right direction.
Let’s talk about the steps:
Step 1: Start with a talk
- The first step is to talk to your teen in an open conversation. Talk to them leniently and tell them the bad consequences of social media scrolling, and also tell them the benefits of taking breaks. You know you cannot agree with your child forcefully, so apply a smooth and lenient way.
Step 2: Set small goals
- Secondly, instead of asking for a long break right away, start with short breaks. You know in the start, the small breaks are okay. With the passage of time, your teen will become comfortable with long breaks.
Step 3: Create fun alternatives
- Next, you should engage your teen aside from social media. For example, involving your child in family games, outdoor sports, or other creative hobbies can make the break feel enjoyable but not like a punishment.
Step 4: Use helpful tools
- Finally, you know there are some parental control apps, like the FlashGet Kids app, which is one of the best applications for parental control that can help set time limits. This app plays a very important role in controlling your teen’s screen time.
What should teens do after social media breaks?
Honestly speaking, taking a break from social media is a good start, but it is not the only thing that matters. When teens get back to social media, they need a comprehensive plan. You know the old behaviour patterns can quickly return; that is why the plan needs to be effective. Let’s discuss some points that help teens after social media breaks:
- Don’t reconnect fast
First of all, avoid long sessions of scrolling on social media when you step back after the break. Consider a brief daily check-in that can range from 20 to 30 minutes. Consistently follow this routine until it becomes a healthy routine. This reduces the risk of addictive behaviour.
- Be selective
Instead of subscribing to hundreds of accounts, you should focus on those that are transformational, educators, motivators or content creators. And, avoid random posts that will not be beneficial for you.
- Set screen-free time
Well, another technique that can work is to set some specific hours as screen-free time. In that time, no member from home will be able to use any gadget. It will be a pure family time. The good thing about this tip is that it will help reduce distractions. Moreover, it will help improve relations with family and help build a happy family.
- Pay attention to warning signs
As a social media user, you should keep it in mind whether you are feeling stressed and frustrated while using social media. If yes, then it’s time for a break. Yes, just stop scrolling and relax your muscles. You know balance is necessary to stay healthy physically and mentally.
- Add offline balance
Next, the social media use should not come at the cost of online activities. Significantly, encouraging interests such as creative work, activities outside, and even sports is equally important. This way, it is possible for teens to enjoy offline and real-world experiences.
FAQs
Basically, it depends on how much your teen is stressed from social media. Depending on the level, the break period can last from a few days to several weeks.
Of course! Detoxing is so relaxing that they reduce the stress level and your teen sleeps better. Moreover, some informative programs help boost knowledge and keep teens in coordination with the real world.
“Take a break” is a feature in Facebook that now allows users to control the content from whom they receive posts. So, you can manage interactions, hide posts and control privacy without unfriending or blocking anyone
Well, you can take a break from Instagram by setting the time limit, muting the notifications, or deactivating your account for a short time. These habits are beneficial and very helpful to take away from social media addiction.
Wrap up
Well, so taking a break from social media is really important to bring peace to life. It will help improve the mental health of kids, boost their creativity and help them make their career. Moreover, it will help improve family relations.
As a parent, to help your child take breaks from social media, you can use parental control apps like the flashGEt Kids app. It will help you monitor your kids’ activities in real time and you will get peace of mind.
