Dealing with Screen Addiction: How To Wean Kids Off The Screen

With the kids often suffering from Screen Addiction, here are ways to wean them off the screen.

In today’s time, there’s no completely, 100% avoiding the screen. Online classes happen and then, there are also gadgets as the ever-reliable nanny when we’re out in a mall and we want to keep the kids quiet. The problem is, however, we’ve become too reliant on it since it’s cheap and convenient. All we need is mall-wide and high-speed internet and our kids can be occupied for the next 3 hours! But that leads them open to what we all now know as screen addiction.

However, we’re seeing the effects: they get irritable, bored, and most of all — they don’t explore as much as we need them to. So, to wean them off the screen, here are some ways we can slowly work off the screen addiction:

Before the tips, we first need to learn what Dopamine is.

We’ve probably read too many posts about how screen addiction happens due to Dopamine. But what is it? Dopamine is a chemical our bodies produce whenever we get excited or we’re subject to a stressful — be it a good or bad — situation. We also know it by another name: adrenaline.

But the adrenaline rush doesn’t just happen when we’re scared. Anything that makes us happy, sad, angry, or even scared will trigger an adrenaline rush which in turn, builds up energies in our bodies to accomplish a variety of things — sometimes, these can even be superhuman feats. So, when reducing our kids’ screen addiction, the goal is to reduce the amount they need or give them something more productive that produces the same amount:

1. Don’t use your gadgets in front of them.

“Monkey see, monkey do” is the old psychology adage that’s still true today. Kids learn how to use screens based on how their parents do it. And if we are often on the screen when we’re out having dinner and the like, they’ll feel left out and uncomfortable because they don’t have what we have — the gadget.

Instead, talk about the place you and your kids are at. Have them identify certain things on the table or around them and don’t shy away from dropping weird and new trivia. The dopamine from that is just as high as 10 minutes of CocoMelon, especially when they want us to demonstrate it.

2. Wean off the new cartoons by using an old cartoon

One of the biggest mistakes we make in weaning kids off the screen is that we immediately take it away. But everyone knows — going cold turkey is stressful, for both parents and the kids. Screen addiction is a kind of addiction which medically, is defined as a “chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive seeking and use despite adverse consequences.” So even if they want to break away, their bodies don’t which is why suddenly taking it away just triggers more tantrums and meltdowns.

Instead, offer them an alternative. Kiddie cartoons always have bright colors but kiddie movies don’t always do. So, we match the theme but reduce the amount of stimulation. Eventually, their minds will learn how to settle and we’ll find it easier for them to do something else.

3. Get them into a sport.

Kids play video games and watch cartoons because it excites them. Their brains, after watching cartoons and playing video games, fill them with adrenaline and dopamine which is the same high we get from riding a rollercoaster or thrill ride in a carnival or doing sports. But giving them a random sport doesn’t always work; in some cases, some parents match the sport to the show the kids are watching.

If the kids watch a lot of police cars and car chases then, they can drive the bumper cars or electric cars on the track. If the kids watch a cartoon with basketball, put them in a clinic. But if they’ve been watching shows like Steven Universe or any show that has some form of fighting, martial arts is the way to go! It then makes them feel like they’re part of the show when they’re not.

It’s a bonus if parents know the characters in the show.

4. Get them a lot of toys.

While the screen does reduce the clutter at home, it’s also not giving our kids the proper stimulation. By surrounding kids with toys and keeping the screen out of an eyeshot, they’ll be more curious as to what’s around them. Let them play with the toys however they want; they need to experiment and if they break it, well, it’s nothing that tape and a good pop and lock back into the slot won’t fix.

Although some don’t like buying toys because kids “tire” of them easily, that’s because we don’t keep them away after. If they see it often enough, they’ll get bored. It’s the whole “familiarity breeds contempt” principle; after maybe a week or two, rotate the toys. Kids have short memory storage so it takes them a while to recall that they have such a toy but they’ll see it as something as novel which is a good shot of dopamine too.

5. Bring them with you on daily routines.

Even if it’s something as boring as doing the groceries or shopping, bringing them around gives them the same amount of excitement especially if they have a hand in choosing what to have for lunch or dinner. It may slow us down a little since our kids have little feet but the amount of physical activity they do during shopping triggers their adrenaline rush too.

Routines also make kids less anxious as they know what happens next, reducing their adrenaline intake. Usually, the screen is the most constant which is why they feel good about using it every time. No anxiety just pure joy.

Sometimes, they even have meltdowns because their body and mind crave something constant: the screen.

Weaning kids off the screen takes time

As much as we want our kids to “cold turkey” from the screen, the shock from taking it away is no joke. Their response is akin to someone who’s been smoking and suddenly stops — though they don’t get fevers or get sick, their body is overwhelmed and confused now that the adrenaline and dopamine aren’t there. So, they actively seek out the screen to reduce the stress.

We’re often quick to accuse kids of “manipulating” us just for the screen but kids don’t have that level of psychological control yet. The act of manipulation usually means they’re out to hurt us but addiction is usually more on a survival level; they think and truly believe that their minds and bodies need it.

So when we wean our kids off the screen, do it gradually. Shocking them will just leave us with more tantrums to handle.

More about kids & screens?

When Screen Time Turns Into Scream Time: What Parents Can Do Screen Addiction Makes Their Kids Aggressive
5 Fun Ways to Reduce Screen Time and Take a Digital Detox
What We’ve Learned From This New Study About Parents’ Screen Time Habit