Parents urged to set balanced smartphone rules for children during summer holidays

With many children spending the summer months alone at home while parents work, experts warn that unrestricted access to smartphones and short‑video platforms can quickly lead to addiction, disrupted sleep, vision problems and heightened anxiety. Advice emphasizes collaborative rule‑making between parents and children, limiting daily screen time to around 1.5 hours, requiring breaks every 30 minutes, and prohibiting use during meals, study periods and before bedtime. Parents are also encouraged to model reduced phone use themselves, activate youth‑mode settings, and replace screen time with outdoor activities, chores and family interaction.

Research from Harvard University highlights three common cognitive traps that amplify social‑media‑related anxiety in youths: over‑interpreting delayed replies, black‑or‑white self‑evaluation based on likes or social inclusion, and generalising from curated online content. To counter these, experts recommend early, relaxed conversations about emotions, guiding children to consider alternative explanations for social cues, and teaching a third‑person perspective to foster self‑compassion. Implementing these strategies aims to reduce dependence on digital devices and improve children’s mental well‑being throughout the holiday period.