Is Social Media Killing Family Life?

One of the biggest frustrations for parents is the constant battle to reclaim family time in the face of social media.  Some parents choose to ban phones at the dinner table whilst others do their best to limit screen time during the evening.  Although it’s easy to roll your eyes and mutter ‘teenagers, huh?’ the reality is that a lot of social media overuse is learned behaviour – from parents.  Chances are that you’re currently reading this article on your phone – having followed a link from Facebook or Twitter.  You may be reading it on your commute or during your lunch break or even, dare we say it, in the bathroom. 

Studies show that we spend an average of two hours and twenty two minutes on social media every day – a figure which is considerably higher for many.  Although some of this is during ‘dead time’ such as a bus or train journey, much of it is at home.  That’s almost three hours a day which could possibly be spent on family time.  

Sharing posts instead of time

A couple of years back, a meme made the rounds of Facebook which made a joke about social media and family life. 

As amusing as the meme is, there’s a disturbing vein of truth running through it.  There’s no denying that social media can be useful in keeping in touch with family when you’re outside of the home, there are some real issues emerging from overuse.  In a recent study, a large number of children reported that they felt their parents were addicted to their phones and computers – and stated that they yearned for their parents to spend more time with them.  

So, what’s the answer?

UK banner company, ultimatebanners, has found that gradually cutting down on social media by replacing it with ‘real life attractions’ can have a really healthy long term effect. Although it may be difficult (and may lead to the odd tantrum), it’s incredibly important that parents take the lead in cutting down the time spent on social media.  There are a few ways of doing this incrementally in order to avoid meltdowns:

Bait and switch

Tempt teens away from Twitter with an incentive such as a treat or gift.  Implement a points system whereby kids gain points for each unit of time (say half an hour) spent away from social media in the evening. 

The dead zone

Switch the wifi off during evening meal times – no ifs, no buts.  Teens will grumble at first but they’ll soon get used to it. 

Take it outside

Arrange one activity outside of the home every week – during which, all phones are left at home.  This can be as simple as going for a meal or a trip to the shops but, can be really effective. 

Whether we like it or not, social media is a big part of our lives and, trying to ban it will almost certainly end in failure.  Instead, start chipping away at the time spent on social media by redirecting it elsewhere. 

Article by Ben from Ultimate Banners the Barracuda banner printer based in Birmingham UK.