News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

Most teenagers have cell phones. And most of those teenagers using texting as a primary means of communication. This can be a helpful tool for communicating between friends, and also between teens and their parents.

But as the Appleton Post-Crescent recently reported, if texting and other forms of technology-enhanced communication are employed excessively, they can cause problems:

Vicki Davis, of the Cool Cat Teacher blog, says a survey of her son and son's friends reveals that many of their friends sleep with their cell phone under their pillows set on vibrate. That way, they can continue to text throughout the night.

In a report at the SLEEP2008 conference, Dr. Gaby Badre said, "Teenagers who excessively use their cell phone are more prone to disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress and fatigue."

This is why parents needs to step in and set boundaries, not only for cell phone usage, but for computers, video games, and television. Any one of these technologies can consume a teenager's time, leading unhealthy habits and a disconnect between family and friends.

Also, though excessive technology use does not necessarily indicate a mental health problem, many mental health experts have expressed concern about the risk of Internet addiction among tech-obsessed teens and adults.

Labels: parenting tips, technology

Posted By: Aspen/CRC