Setting Screen-Time Limits for Your Teen This Summer
Most teens look forward to summer break all year long. However, more free time and less structure can quickly lead to boredom. And that can cause teens to engage in excessive screen time. Before you know it, your teen is barricaded in their room mindlessly scrolling, watching TV, or playing video games.
As a parent, it can be challenging to get your teen to strike a healthy balance between summer scrolling and activities that foster creativity, promote physical well-being, and support quality time with friends and family. In this article, we’ll explore why it’s important to set healthy limits on technology use and the strategies you can use to limit your teen’s screen time during the summer break.
Key Takeaways
- The lack of structure during summer break can lead to too much screen time for teens.
- Children who spend three hours a day or more on social media are twice as likely to have mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours per day of screen time for teens and adults.
- Parents can set summer screen-time limits that provide autonomy while ensuring their teen gets proper sleep, exercise, and family time.
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Volunteer Opportunities
There are a variety of volunteer opportunities at awesome nonprofits throughout Westchester and Putnam Counties. To view these opportunities, please check out Volunteer New York!
The John C. Hart Memorial Library in Shrub Oak can always use some volunteers! To find out about their Teen Volunteer Program, click here.
Yorktown Leos Club
Leadership, Experience, Opportunity! The Yorktown Leos are a community service club for people ages 12-25 willing to help others in the community. They host and participate in a variety of fun and collaborative events. The Yorktown Leos Club has been helping the Yorktown community for over 25 years and to learn how to get involved, click here.
Weekly Spotlight Family Support Groups
From our partners at Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, weekly Spotlight Family Support Groups, held virtually every Tuesday and Wednesday via Zoom. Spotlight on Recovery is a Family Educational and Support Group for families struggling with a loved one misusing substances. For more information, click here.
August 8 & 22 – Yoga for Resilience
Do you have a loved one struggling with addiction? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Carve out time for yourself so you may respond to your loved one with a clear mind and an open heart. Join us on Zoom and we will come together in a safe space to practice somatic mindfulness, grounding and centering, containment and breath regulation. For more information, click here.
August 15 – Virtual Naloxone Training
Naloxone is a prescription medicine that reverses an overdose by blocking heroin or other opioids in the nervous system for 30-90 minutes. Naloxone is administered by injection or intranasal. Following training, participants receive a kit by mail. Presented by our partners at Drug Crisis in Our Backyard. Register by email: ssal@drugcrisisinourbackyard.com
November 9 – Invitation to Change Workshop with CRAFT Strategies
CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) presented by Center for Motivation and Change and Drug Crisis in Our Backyard. Learn tools that can give you hope, help a loved one move away from substance use and apply better techniques to help you take care of yourself. Excellent workshop for anyone hoping to influence change in a loved one’s behavior. Register here.
Upcoming Events
August 1 – Responding in a Mental Health Emergency
We know what to do when someone breaks their arm: brace it and go to the hospital. But what should you do when someone is experiencing a mental health emergency? Learn what causes crisis situations and the warning signs, how to respond, and what to do once the crisis has ended. Register here.
August 6 – National Night Out
Join ASK at the Yorktown Police Department’s National Night Out. This wonderful community event will be held at the Jack DeVito Veterans’ Memorial Track and Field, 6pm – 9pm.
August 13 – Understanding Anxiety
An accessible guide to understanding what causes anxiety disorders and the types of anxiety, their symptoms, common misconceptions, and how relationships are impacted. Discuss co-occurring disorders, treatment options, and learn practical tips for managing symptoms and helping others with a licensed therapist. Register here.
August 28 – Cannabis and Mental Health
With expanded legalization and use of cannabis, it is crucial to explore the potential impacts it can have on mental well-being. This webinar provides evidence-based insights to promote a better understanding of the topic. Register here.
August 28 – Raising and Educating Resilient, Super-Powered Tweens and Teens
Navigating the tween and teen years can be a stressful time for kids, parents, and educators alike. This period of change, pressure, and uncharted territory can feel overwhelming. Join Phyllis Fagell, a school counselor and acclaimed author, as she shares practical strategies to help kids develop essential skills for managing social complexity, academic challenges, and intense emotions. Register here.
NAMI Westchester
The families and members of NAMI Westchester are here to help! They offer understanding to anyone concerned about mental illnesses and the treatment of mental illness. To view their calendar, click here.
Westchester Breathes is an ongoing program offered by the Westchester Library System offering an experience of gentle movement, breathing and relaxation exercises that reduce stress and anxiety and increase a sense of calm and well-being. These exercises are simple and evidence-based – which is to say …they work! They are free and on Zoom. Register here.
