Techniques for Overcoming Smartphone Obsession: A Specialist Offers Practical Advice for Households
Mel Robbins, a New York Times best-selling author and podcast host, recently teamed up with Verizon for an event in New York City to share strategies for achieving a healthier balance between technology and family life. The event, focused on helping families break free from a phone addiction, saw Robbins draw lessons from her own family’s journey.
During the sit-down interview with our website at the event, Robbins emphasized that phones can be valuable tools for connection and work, but creating better boundaries at home is essential to prevent technology from taking over lives. She believes that a family's attention and time is their most valuable resource.
One key strategy Robbins proposed is for adults to lead by example. She noted that when parents constantly check their phones, children may perceive devices as more important than family time. Therefore, adults need to fix their own phone habits before helping children, as kids take cues from parents' behavior about device importance versus family time.
Another strategy involves creating phone-free zones and times. Robbins suggests making dinner time a completely phone-free zone for everyone. She also recommends keeping phones in a dedicated charging station instead of carrying them around, such as at home after work or during family time.
Robbins also advises parents to practice phone-free moments in everyday activities. For example, while waiting in lines or performing simple tasks, resisting the urge to reach for the phone and instead being mindful of the moment can help foster a healthier relationship with technology.
When it comes to managing nighttime phone use, Robbins strongly warns against sleeping with phones, as it can disrupt sleep, essential for both physical and mental health. She encourages parents to make children leave phones downstairs at bedtime. For parents who need to check work emails or handle tasks on their phones during bedtime, Robbins suggests being upfront with children about it and putting the phone away afterward.
In conclusion, Robbins' strategies for a "phone-life balance" do not involve any ongoing craze or flood-related events. Instead, they focus primarily on parents changing their own habits first, establishing clear boundaries around phone use, and creating phone-free moments that prioritize family connection. By following these strategies, families can benefit from technology's connectivity without letting phones take over their lives.
- Mel Robbins, during her interview with our website, highlighted the importance of setting boundaries with technology at home to prevent it from dominating lives, emphasizing that a family's attention and time is their most valuable resource.
- In an attempt to break free from phone addiction, Robbins suggests that adults lead by example by fixing their own phone habits before helping children, since kids often learn about device importance versus family time from their parents' behavior.
- To achieve a healthier family life, Robbins recommends creating phone-free zones and times, such as making dinner a completely phone-free zone for everyone, and placing phones in a dedicated charging station at home during family time.
- Robbins also encourages parents to practice phone-free moments in everyday activities, resisting the urge to use phones while waiting in lines or performing simple tasks, fostering a healthier relationship with technology.
- When it comes to managing nighttime phone use, Robbins strongly advises against sleeping with phones, as it can disrupt sleep which is crucial for both physical and mental health, and she encourages parents to make children leave phones downstairs at bedtime.
