It’s time to reconnect with your family and spend quality time together without distractions from your phone. Here are some tips to help you unplug and truly be present with each other. It’s time for a digital detox!
Think back to your favorite childhood activities – riding your bike around the neighborhood, playing at a friend’s house, or watching Saturday morning cartoons. Now, what about your kids? Have texting and playing smartphone games replaced those activities?
If your child prefers games on a smartphone to outdoor play, it might be time for a family digital detox. While technology is useful, constant exposure can be exhausting. When family members are glued to their screens at the dinner table, real connections suffer. It’s important for kids to be tech-savvy, but not at the expense of meaningful relationships. A digital detox can strengthen family bonds, help kids appreciate nature, boost empathy, and improve communication.
Unplugging can bring back simpler times when families gathered around the table, talked, or spent relaxed Sunday afternoons together. Reducing time on social media and constant news updates can also lower feelings of jealousy, envy, and loneliness.
Disconnecting from screens can also help kids become more self-reliant. Social media has created a culture of FOMO (fear of missing out). By encouraging your kids to enjoy activities without needing to post everything online, you help them live richer, more authentic lives.
To ensure the digital detox is successful, set clear rules in advance. You might keep a cellphone handy for emergencies but otherwise have it switched off. Another option is to store all phones in a locked box or agree to power them down together.
Older kids might initially resist, feeling disconnected from friends, so explain why the digital detox is beneficial. Overcoming complaints and disengagement can be challenging initially, but planning fun, engaging activities can help, making the time away from phones enjoyable for everyone.
Try starting your digital detox during a family vacation. Choose a peaceful, family-friendly spot, like a forested area with streams, lakes, and mountains. Pack the vacation with age-appropriate activities – swimming, playing by the lakeshore, bird watching, or fishing. Friendly competitions, like who can identify the most birds or catch the most fish, can make it even more fun.
Consider a family lesson on the lake if you don’t know how to fish. Learning new skills together is fun, and catching fish to cook for dinner gives kids a sense of pride that a video game never could.
Alongside these activities, incorporate some exercise to counteract screen time. Hike up mountains for great views, or take canoe or kayak trips for a sense of adventure.
When evening comes, enjoy the sunset over the mountains, share spooky stories around a campfire, or stargaze together.
After the trip, consider having a monthly or weekly unplugged day to reconnect as a family. Host a board game night, visit a museum, go on a bike ride or hike, or spend time with family friends or grandparents.
Putting down screens gives you time for all the things you used to do as a family. Your kids might even come to you with new ideas for the next digital detox. Have you tried a digital detox? How did it go?
