Going on a Technology "Diet"

i think it's really smart of you. technology is so weirdly addictive. i'm glad i did the bulk of my child-rearing before constant connection became so ubiquitous. when i compare how voraciously i used to read with how many books i read now, it's depressing. MP and FB eat up alarming amounts of my daily leisure time.
i've played around with putting myself on this diet of which you speak. a couple of months ago i ran it past my younger and his girlfriend, and asked them if they thought they could unplug altogether- phone, internet, video games and tv- for one weekend. my son's eyes grew to the size of saucers, and K said 'one of my multiple personalities would have to die.'
which amused me greatly. but alarmed me too.
we had no wi-fi at a cabin on our vacation last year. it was just like getting off coffee. for 24 hours i was antsy and irritable. but then it was so freeing!
but i've never repeated it voluntarily.......
:X khairete
S.

I see my friends and their cell phones (usually smart phones) and they've practically grown an umbilical cord with it. Some have grown so dependent on that 24/7 connection that the very idea of simply leaving the phone at home one day is shocking.

If you have a cell, try that experiment on a day you're leaving the house, but not leaving town. Think about what would be different if you didn't have the cell phone at all.

Would you need to add another emergency contact with the school?
Would you need to be more mindful of your gas tank level and car maintenance?
Would you need to make a voice call from home to firm up lunch plans with a friend, then just trust that both of you will show up on time?
Would you need to become more organized in your shopping, because you can't just call home to ask someone to check if you need milk?

Emails and messaged couldn't be viewed until you were home. The people you know would have to learn to wait instead of having instant gratification. If you leave your phone for a day and come back to multiple, "Are you okay?!" and "Where are you?" type texts, you know for sure you're too connected.

We have in our family a lot over the past few years and it has made a HUGE difference in our lives. We only have 1 TV in the house - shared by all. It doesn't get turned on until after dinner at the earliest, and sometimes not at all. If one of the kids does turn it on after dinner, it has to be PG-13 or less for a rating since we can all see it. We turn the Wi-Fi router off at 10:00 p.m. which limits the older kids Ipad time. Also, no phones/laptops/Ipads at meals (we eat every dinner together unless someone is gone for a sport or their job).

The first 30 days is the toughest, but after that, it really does get easier. I was just thinking . . .I don't think a single kid turned on the TV all weekend. I think the last time it was watched was Thursday night!

Good luck - even making one small change is a great start!

We have avoided getting a cell phone altogether. A basic cell phone here would cost about $25 per month. I decided that if we found ourselves spending at least that much on payphones in a month then we would get a shared family basic cell phone. So far we have never even come close.

We have basic limits on screen time, but screen time is mostly limited by necessity. We are too busy doing other things to have a lot of time for screens. Come summer time we spend a lot of time far from any sort of wifi.

I guess what I am saying is we don't have screen time when there is something better to do, so I try to make sure there is something better to do.

I saw this post on Facebook, and I think it has merit.

http://www.yourmodernfamily.com/no-screen-time-until-free...

We were very strong about limiting video games. I grew up feeling totally deprived because my parents would not allow us to watch much TV, including when it was assigned (say, a nature special for biology class). So I definitely didn't want to be the "no screen" parent. We wanted our son to be choosy about TV though, and later on to limit his time with his phone and computer. He's definitely in love with his computer, but he also grew up with a great sense of curiosity, lots of time outdoors (sports, camp, general play), and a lot of elaborate Lego-type set ups on a big table in the basement.

I like the link above because it doesn't deny screen time, but fosters balance, including reading, outdoor or creative time, and chores. I'm sure you could personalize it for your family's needs.

When I was 18, my parents bought me a cell phone so I could call if my beater car broke down when I drove to college. It was for emergencies only and I think I may have used it three times in 10 years.

Now at 43, ironically, I'm leaving my phone at home. What once was for car emergencies, is now a giant distraction. So I've been leaving it home so I can be present, focused, mindful. Hubby and I went away for the weekend and we literally went old school. We even watched a movie with commercials. It was terrific to only use a phone to make a phone call! I felt so peaceful all weekend.

At home, I do OK only being on media a few times a day, but then I have days where I binge. In fact, I was suppose to be done with BS computer time 12 minutes ago, yet here I am. When we go away on vacation, I do limit all internet time. My phone stays home, that way I don't get tempted.

With my kids, it's all about balance. They do spend a significant amount of time on media everyday, but I'm OK with that. Since they don't go to school, they also spend a few hours outside and reading everyday. On Saturday, I also let them play video games for as long as they want in the morning. I let them have a binge day. And soon we will be doing minecraft school! So they'll have to play for a few hours everyday to do their homework.

For me, it's about balance. And finding what works for you and your family is personal. We've only ever had 1 TV, and hubby and I only watch it for a few hours a week. It's not my thing. But we are computer people. In fact, we met online 15 years ago. So for me it's about managing computer/tablet/phone time.

With that said, time to get some work done!

With the kids it's easy. We have no video games. They have no ipads or phones or any other consoles. We had one shared used ipad as a gift at one point and they got into Minecraft and UGH!!! All their cool creative projects and reading and playing suffered and their behavior declined. So I yanked it and now they're all fixed again. We have one TV and they can watch it while I make dinner, but it goes off after dinner so we can read before bed. They usually watch a movie or two on weekends especially in bad weather.

On days when I have urgent work that does not entail the computer, I do NOT get on it in the morning! Or I'll waste my most energetic window. I go straight to my studio after school drop-off to paint, or straight into workout and get all my days tasks done. Then I allow myself to check my laptop briefly in evening. When I'm being BAD I'm online too much :( which I need to change. But I don't bring my phone to socialize and I never use it in car. I am very sparing with it. So if anyone has a computer problem at home when no one's around it's me, but I do try to manage it...

How about No Technology Tuesdays or something like that? We had one a few weeks ago - where at 5pm the technology goes off until the kids are in bed. That is only a few hours but I like the idea of it!!

We only have 1 TV. The kids watch it for 30-60 minutes after school while they wind down and eat a snack. Then it's off for the rest of the day. We don't have an XBox or anything. They all have a Kindle, but we try to only use that on the weekends. Hubby and I *try* to put our phones away (like in a drawer in our bedroom) from 5pm-8pm (kids go to bed at 8pm). I say *try* because we're not perfect...working on that!