Attention parents with screenagers: The US government has issued a public warning that scrolling through apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat can pose serious risks to your child’s mental health.
in a 19 page report, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said Tuesday that while social media offers some benefits to youth, including the ability to connect with communities, it also exposes them to potential harm, such as cyberbullying and content that promotes eating disorders, self-harm and other destructive behavior. Social media also impairs exercise, sleep and other activities, he said.
What can parents do? One is to explore potential options for limiting children’s screen time. Let’s go over them.
What tools are available and where do we get them?
Google and Apple mobile operating systems offer free tools that can be effective in restricting screen time on smartphones and tablets. These tools allow parents to monitor and set limits on their children’s devices.
For Android devices, there is Family Link, an app that needs to be downloaded via the Google Play Store. From there, parents can set up a child’s Google account to be monitored with the software. For iPhone-using parents who want to manage their kids’ Android phones, there’s also a Family Link app for iOS.
For iPhones, Apple’s iOS includes a tool called Screen Time, which can also limit the amount of time someone spends on the device. It can be activated within the iPhone settings app by following Apple’s instructions.
Are these tools good?
Both have pros and cons.
Google’s Family Link has useful features, including the option to reject apps a child tries to download and the ability to lock a device at specific times, such as between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. when the child is in bed.
But Family Link has one major limitation: When kids turn 13, they can choose to “graduate,” as Google calls it, or lift the restrictions. At that age, the child reaches the minimum age required in the United States to create a Google account without parental consent.
One workaround for parents who want to continue using the restrictions is to sign in to the child’s Google account and change the age to less than 13.
We also tested Apple’s Screen Time feature in a week-long experiment when the tool was introduced. The feature allows parents to create time limits for specific apps or categories of apps, like social media or games, on their kids’ iPhones. When the kid runs out of time with an app, he blocks it. The parent can then have a discussion with the child and decide if they allow additional time on an application.
The downside is that parents who also use the tools to monitor their own phone usage can easily bypass the restrictions using their passcode, and may find they are even more addicted to their screens than their children.
Are there other options?
Yeah.
There are also third-party Android and iOS apps that allow parents to manage screen time, though they should be used with caution. Some brand-name apps marketed as parental control apps have been used by stalkers to track users’ locations and even spy on them through their microphones, a type of malware security researchers call “stalkerware.”
Parents have many resources to find reliable tools that can also work on personal computers, as well as phones and tablets. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that reviews products for families, found that Qustodio and NetNanny gave parents deep control of their children’s devices.
Do social media companies offer features to limit the use of their apps?
Social media companies also offer some features to remind people to stop scrolling. Instagram, for example, has a Reminder “Take a break” that can be activated, and TikTok introduced its own tool this year to limit the time spent inside its app.
But the effectiveness of these features has been questioned. Many people, including teenagers, have found that these tools can be easily bypassed.