After the g-kids finish their homework and have eaten dinner, are they allowed to use their smartphones? The smartphone etiquette rules for during school hours and even after school are fairly clear, but where should parents/grandparents draw the line at nighttime?
Tell your g-kids to follow these etiquette rules:
Lights out.
When it’s time for bed, it’s time to put phones away. Kids who sleep with their phones nearby take a longer time to fall asleep, and lose out on quality sleep, too. With a phone within reach, kids will feel tempted to stay up later to text their friends, and they may even wake up throughout the night when their phones go off. The more sleep that children lose, the more likely they will be to suffer academically and emotionally. To prevent your grandchildren from losing out on sleep, have them turn in their phones to you before heading to bed.
Keep it on while away from home.
If kids are out with their friends at night or staying late at school for a soccer game or club meeting, they should always be required to keep their phones on so you can get in touch with them if needed. Kids should always carry an extra charger in their backpacks or purses so they can never use “my phone is dead” as an excuse for why they didn’t answer. If your grandkids are traveling from one location to the next—for example, going to the mall, then the movies, then dinner—they should check in with you at each location. There’s no point in them having a phone if you can’t reach them when you are worried about their safety, so make it clear this is a rule that must be followed.
No texting while driving.
Once your grandkids are old enough to drive, it’s important to establish a no texting and driving rule. Twenty-one percent of teens who were involved in a fatal car accident were texting at the time, so this is a serious concern for parents that needs to be addressed. If kids are driving by themselves or with friends at night, they should know there’s absolutely no texting allowed.
Make time for family.
When kids stay in for the night, they should not be allowed to use their phones if you have planned a family activity together. Are your extended family members coming over? Do you have a family movie night scheduled in your living room? In these situations, kids should not be glued to their phones, otherwise, they won’t get to spend valuable time with family.
One hour of free time.
If kids have finished their chores and homework for the evening, allow them to have one to two hours on their phones, which is the maximum amount of daily screen time recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. During this time, kids can chat with their friends, update their social media profiles, or browse the web—they’ve earned it!
Make exceptions.
Although the AAP recommends one to two hours per day, they also acknowledge there should be exceptions to this rule depending on what your child is doing on the phone. For example, your grandchild should not be punished and cut off from using his phone if he has been researching something for school for the past three hours. Or, if children have become engrossed with an educational TV show that they are streaming through their phones, it’s fine to let them use it for a longer period of time.
No phones in the bedroom.
When kids are alone with their phones, they tend to make bad decisions, such as sending inappropriate photos or text messages. But, if you don’t allow your grandkids to bring their phones into the bedroom, you can prevent this from happening. Make your g-kids’ bedrooms “no phone zones.” Not only does this help you prevent inappropriate behavior, but it also helps them focus on homework and sleep instead.
Follow a contract.
Parents should create a smartphone contract that their kids must follow, not just at night, but throughout the day, too. If for any reason, the parents don’t or can’t, then grandparents can offer up a contract. The contract should require kids to promise not to visit mature websites, send inappropriate texts or photos, cyberbully others, or download apps that cost money. If you find your grandchild has violated any of these rules, his phone should be taken away for a certain period of time, and he should not be allowed to have his “free time” with his phone once he gets it back.
After a long day, the last thing you want to worry about is what your grandkid is doing on his smartphone. Establish these etiquette rules in your home, and use the evenings to relax and bond together as a family!
For more helpful tips and parental control apps contact Teen Safe
