Parents impose summer screen‑time limits for teens amid mental‑health concerns

Health experts note that excessive screen time for adolescents aged 13‑15 is linked to depression, anxiety, reduced sleep and poorer academic performance. Parents are responding by setting summer boundaries for their teens' phone use. Common strategies include keeping teens occupied with chores, camps, sports or part‑time jobs; applying daily limits on app usage, especially social‑media platforms; educating youths about dopamine spikes and the cognitive effects of constant scrolling; establishing no‑phone zones such as during meals; and, in some cases, letting teens self‑regulate as long as responsibilities are met.

These approaches aim to balance teens' social needs with the need for healthy sleep patterns and mental well‑being during the longer, unstructured summer break.