Cell Phones: The New Addiction

Is your teen addicted to his or her cell phone? Would you know it if they were. Many parents like to think they can recognize the signs of addiction in their children, but the truth is they may not be able to see it, because the kids are so good at hiding the fact. If you’re looking to spy on iphone or android, you’re not alone.

If you have a teen who is constantly looking at his screen—whether it be to read texts, surf the net, check out their social media sites, play games or send emails—then you should sit down and have a talk with them.

Doctors recommend that kids limit their entertainment screen time to no more than 2 hours a day—be it a cell phone, tablet, television or gaming console. Are you doing that with your kids? Chances are that if you told them what the doctor said, the average child would respond with a very boisterous, “WHAT?!?” And you may agree. Ask yourself, how much time do you spend in front of a screen for recreational purposes? Probably a lot more than that as well.

So how does one curb their child’s exposure to smartphones, T.V., tablets and videogames without seeming like an ogre? Try these tips (as recommend by WebMD):

• Watch your own screen habits. Although your teen may not seem to pay attention to anything you do or say, you are still her most important role model. So you can't tell her to cut back on TV time if you're watching endless hours of TV, texting while you're driving, or eating dinner with your Blackberry on the table.

• Remind teens to limit screen usage. Banning electronics completely isn't realistic these days, but it's important to let your teen know you’re paying attention to how much time she's on a screen.

• Motivate your teen to exercise. Many kids drop out of sports programs during the teen years. Your teen will be more motivated to move if you let him choose the type of activities he wants to participate in.

• Encourage activities that involve socializing. Look for activities and clubs that engage your teen socially, so he will get out and be with other people. If you can't convince him to join you at social events, suggest activities related to his interests that involve other kids, such as school or church groups or volunteer work.

• Create screen rules together. You'll be more likely to get your teen's buy-in if you come up with screen-time rules as a family. Together you can write up a contract that outlines clear house rules with rewards and agreed upon punishments. Here are some suggestions for rules to implement together:

1.      No texting during meals, either at home or a restaurant

2.      No TV during meals

3.      No TV until after homework and chores are done

4.      The TV gets turned off at a set time at night

5.      The computer stays in a public room in the home

6.      No TVs in bedrooms

• Talk about it. Explain that the more TV they watch, the less time they have to be physically active and the more likely they are to gain weight. Show them articles or books about the impact of using too much media so they understand that your rules aren't unfounded—and that you've got their best interests and good health at heart.

And as a last resort, install a good mobile monitoring app on their phone so that you can make sure they are adhering to your rules and not doing anything they shouldn’t be. You can spend hours scouring the internet to learn how to track a phone location or my free android spy, but the truth is if you really want to know how to spy on cell phones, try Highster Mobile. This app is light on the wallet, simple to install and easy to use.