Q: “When our child comes home from school, they immediately get on their phone or play video games. I allow this because it’s their downtime, but the transition to getting them off their screens to do homework or chores is rough.
How can we make this easier?”Children need decompression time after school. It is challenging for an inattentive or hyperactive student to stay focused and on point for the duration of the school day.
So I am all about them coming home from school and just going outside or watching videos for 30 to 40 minutes. But at 40 minutes, the alarm on their phone or a caregiver’s phone should go off, and the student’s phone should go back to its docking station or be otherwise out of reach.If they refuse to give up their device or stop playing video games willingly, you need to confiscate the electronics.
I’ve shut down my kid’s phone remotely using a deactivation tool from my cell phone provider. She learned pretty quickly that I was serious.