I’m really at a loss as to how to educate my fourteen-year-old daughter to kick her addiction to mobile devices and gaming, and to focus on her studies and engage in more healthy and productive activities. And most important, to bond with our family.
I’ve been telling myself she is Soul and it’s her choice to lead her current lifestyle. But the frustration and helplessness keep coming back whenever I see her constantly on the device. Yet I can’t ban her as I used to.
—Ayura, Singapore
Dear Ayura,
Addicts claim they can quit a harmful behavior anytime, yet they seldom do.
Mobile-device disorder is a worldwide phenomenon. It can cause depression, anxiety, and insomnia and have harmful effects on family, school, social activities, and normal emotional functioning.
Addiction is an age-old ploy to keep Souls in the lower worlds.
Ideas to address this condition include reeducating a child, but lecturing rarely works. What may work is asking him or her about the pros and cons of how much they use their phones.
Adults who are not afraid to be adults will insist on phone-free zones. They will set limits for the family, like no phone use during meals, at outings, or at social gatherings. They’ll also enforce these zones with consequences for overuse. For example, they might cut a child’s allowance. Another possibility is to find out if their wireless carrier offers parental controls.
In advanced cases of addiction, parents might need professional help. CommonSenseMedia.org offers guidance. It is the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by giving them trustworthy information.
I hope some of these suggestions help you reach your daughter.
With love in ECK,
