Removing Apps from your child's iPhone!
Your One Step this month:
✓ Watch our "Reel It In" video tutorial to learn how to remove the distractions and risks of social media, video games, and the internet from your child's iPhone.
Many parents are overwhelmed and frustrated by their kids' smartphone use. We often hear, "that ship has sailed" or "I can't change the phone now, I already gave it." But it is NEVER too late to reel in smartphone use. In fact, continually adjusting our kids' tech use is now an essential part of today's parenting life - we often learn by trial and error as we fumble along trying to ensure childhood is more IRL than URL.
Parents in our community are specifically asking for help dialing back middle schoolers' use of iPhones, so this video provides the tactical steps specific to Apple products. Bonus points if you reach out to the parents of your child's friends to see if they want to join forces to dial back phone use together - as a peer group.
Reeling It In!
In this video, we describe the exact steps needed to reel in your child's iphone overuse. Specifically, we show you how to delete problematic Apps, set up Screen Time Limits and Down Time, and remove the App Store and web browser. By the end of this video, our sample iPhone has been stripped down so there's no Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, video games, internet access, or App Store, and access to TikTok is limited to 20 min per day. The sample iPhone also is shut down from 8pm to 8am so it can't interfere with sleep and healthy bedtime rituals. The demonstrated "reel it in" steps can be adapted to your needs.
Parental controls on Apple products can be tricky to navigate and maintain. That's why we are creating videos to help guide parents step by step - so you can get the most out of Apple's "Screen Time" tools. While these tools aren't perfect, they are a very useful guardrail when parents understand how to set them up and use them.
If you are completely new to Apple Screen Time, you might need to learn how to turn it on first before watching this video. You can find information on our website here or check out the instructions from Apple here.
3 Steps for "Reeling it in"
1. Get informed. Watch the video to get familiar with the ways to reel in an iPhone, and inform your thinking about what adjustments you may want to make.
2. Talk to your child. Tell them you will be making changes to their iPhone and explain why. Don't make the changes without telling them first. Depending on the age of your child, invite them to the conversation and decide together which changes to make. For example, if they have access to 3 social media accounts, perhaps reduce it to 1 with their input. You can also propose changes as a temporary challenge - e.g., "let's try removing these apps for 2 weeks and debrief."
3. Reel It In! Have your child's iPhone and your iPhone with you and start/stop the video as you work your way through the steps.
It's more than just the iPhone settings...
Managing a child's access to technology through the tools provided by Apple devices is a great strategy AND must go hand-in-hand with parental guidance and connection. Coaching our kids on how to find a balanced and safe relationship with tech is a crucial part of reeling in tech use. For help on how to start these conversations, we highly recommend the Family Guides from Wait Until 8th.
Remember, you are the parent and you get to decide how your child uses the tech devices that they have access to - especially if you are paying for that phone! Creating boundaries and rules around tech is an essential part of parenting in this digital age and we're here to support you through the process.
Need hands on support? ScreenSense offers 1:1 tech consulting for parents. Our tech expert can help guide you in setting up ScreenTime, Downtime and other Apple tools. For more information or to set up a consultation, send us a message here.
Your One Step recap for this week:
✓ Watch our "Reel It In" video tutorial to learn how to remove the distractions and risks of social media, video games, and the internet from your child's iPhone.
