Dear Editor,
Last Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of attending one of the three Parent Coffee Talks being put on at the Bonnyville Boys and Girls Club by various local organizations concerned with the wellbeing of children, including FCSS Bonnyville.
The subject of the presentation was The Teenage Brain. In attendance were approximately 20 women. We were presented with some pretty alarming new statistics. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among teen girls, worldwide. Anxiety and depression have increased exponentially among teens. A new mental disorder called mental exhaustion is also being diagnosed at alarming rates.
The presenter was pretty clear about what is causing these incredibly alarming trends in our future generation; smart phones, social media and video games. Although, I felt her message was pretty clear, she received many inquiries about how to control teen’s use of such devices. Have we forgotten how to parent?
Please indulge me as I feel compelled to offer a few reminders. First, build a relationship with your child, create a mutually respectful relationship by being there for your child whenever they need you. Put your phone down! Second, set rules. Yes, daily limits on screen time is an appropriate rule!
Hopefully, if you did step one properly, this will be just a two step process for you. But, if you failed on step one, or you have a particularly independent boundary pushing child... Third, set consequences and follow through on them. Yes, taking their phone is an appropriate consequence!! Come on parents, get serious for our kids! Cut that screen time or we’re going to have a major mental health crisis on our hands.
Stephanie Swackhammer
Bonnyville Resident
