Social Media Bans Won’t Help Your Teen. Good Habits Will.

5 ways to digitally detox your teen that work better than a social media ban.

President Donald Trump is “taking an interest” in potentially enacting a nationwide social media ban to protect young Americans, according to Lara Trump’s statements on the most recent episode of “Pod Force One.” This follows Australia’s recent decision to ban social media for children under the age of 16, as well as several U.S. states prohibiting the use of cell phones in schools.

Despite free speech concerns, many American parents would likely praise a government-mandated social media ban. The results likely wouldn’t meet your expectations.

From using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to lying about their age, teens are more than capable of circumventing a social media ban. The government may restrict access, but only parents have the ability to shape the habits of their own children. Here are 5 ways to digitally detox your teen that work better than a social media ban.

1. The Phone Belongs to You, Not the Child

Research shows that children who have been allowed to take ownership over their cellphone are more likely to feel angry or fight back when parents try to instill rules over the device, such as screen time limits or electronic downtime (i.e. no phones after 6:00 PM). Eliminating that sense of ownership helps the child to understand that the cellphone is a borrowed device from you, the parent.

2. Bring Back the Alarm Clock

66 percent of Americans claim to feel anxiety when they are without their smartphones. Whether using it as a GPS, a digital wallet, or an alarm clock, reliance on smartphones has skyrocketed, turning them into a necessity rather than the commodity they once were. Getting your teen a physical alarm clock knocks out two birds with one stone: Not only does this prevent your teen from scrolling through their notifications first thing in the morning—a habit that promotes stress responses in the brain—but it also prevents them from scrolling on their phone late into the night. With a physical alarm clock, there is no longer any need for your child to bring their phone into their room at night.

3. Device-Free Days

In a world where social currency is measured by online literacy, teens need to be reminded that there is a world beyond their phone that is just as worthy of exploration. In fact, 51 percent of teens want to digitally detox from social media but avoid doing so because of the fear of missing out. Enacting a device-free day once a week to foster family time, physical activity, and the development of non-electronic hobbies can potentially expand your child’s view of their own world, eliminating online comparison.

4. Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications

Research shows that over the past several years, social media is directly linked to anxiety and depression in teens. The influx of notifications stemming from text messages and online likes can cause a similar dopamine response to certain substance dependencies. In fact, a study done by Commonsense Media collected data from 200 11-17 year olds, with over half receiving an average of 237 notifications per day. It’s easy for parents to combat this by turning off their child’s notifications using built-in parental controls. Those using Apple devices can use Apple Screen Time to monitor their child’s phone from their own device. The Downtime feature allows you to block notifications from specific apps. Android users can similarly use Google Family Link.

5. Digitally Detox Yourself

Children mirror the behavior of their parents—especially their digital behavior. When parents extensively use their devices in front of their children, the child is more likely to have a higher screen time. If children grow up watching their parents text and drive, scroll Instagram during commercial breaks or family meal times, they will emulate that behavior. However, the child is more likely to suffer long-term effects than the parent as prolonged screen time harms brain development. Parents must follow the same screen time rules they impose on their children, limiting the “Do as I say, not as I do” technique. Children and teens are more likely to follow rules that they see authority figures following as well.

As teens around the globe are suffering from extended screen time, world leaders are attempting to minimize these negative effects by age-gating social media. The effectiveness of these bans is uncertain. What is certain is parents’ ability to steward their own children.

It may be too late to keep your child from the online world of social media, but it is never too late to teach them ways to digitally detox. Start with these 5 tips.

The social media “cure” is found at home, not the U.S. Capitol.