Healthy Habits

This section shares healthy habits from parents with older children, reflecting on what we’d do differently and what we wish we’d known sooner. Technology can feel like a constant battle, but setting boundaries early and staying consistent helps children grow up understanding your family rules. This isn’t professional advice, just parental insight shaped by hindsight.

Children learn from us, set Healthy habits with your own digital use in front of your children.

Youtube - when they are little and you put on videos for them it all seems fine, but when they are older with access to the control, the content that they watch is just endless, mind numbing attention grabbing YouTube clips. Keep YouTube for educational use only and don't allow YouTube shorts, you can change your settings so video's don't automatically play. If you want to use YouTube, we suggest using it on a family computer.

Ensure your Wifi Security is set and you have parental controls on every device your child has access too. This is to protect your child and other peoples.

Hold off on smartphones and social media until at least 14, ideally 16.

Give a simple phone for calling and text as they get older.

Get a landline - they are coming back! Get your children's friends to get one, they can call to each other and speak.

No devices at mealtimes, it's tempting to have a quiet meal, but think about what that looks like when they are older. It really pays off if you can get them used to sitting, socialising and eating with you. Just make sure if you go for meals have a bag by the door, with colouring, games, cards, toys in.

No phones in the car - this is a great place to chat as no interruptions or distractions.

No devices at night or before bedtime.

No TV or gaming stations in bedrooms, keep them where you can see and hear who they are playing with.

If they are going to game - Try and have a rule of no gaming in the week, the pressure to play is relentless, if they learn from a young age that this is how it is it will be so much easier for you when they are a teenager. If you want to get a gaming console we recommend getting something that isn't portable so its a fixed station in a communal area in your home.

Sleepovers - In a recent survey 53% of children didn't have parental controls on their devices. This is a time when they want to share with their friends. You can have a box by the door that they leave them in or if you are ok with them having them for a bit, at least remove them by 8/9pm so not to allow them through the night when you aren't around to monitor.

Pornography: Sexual content isn't just limited to adult websites anymore, it shows up across many different forms such as social media, games messaging apps, pop ups. Even apps that seem harmless can expose children to explicit images, videos or ads. Children don't have to search for it to find it, there is explicit content on TikTok many OnlyFans post here on Spotify, audible erotica and podcasts, even YouPorn pop up ads when a child was listening to a YouTube audible book for Diary of a wimpy kid which the child clicked on. This is why having parental controls and wifi security enabled are so important. Click here with help on how to have conversations about Pornography.

Tracking - It's tempting to want to know where your child is and what they’re doing at all times. It feels like good parenting keeping them safe in a world that can be unpredictable. But constant tracking can quietly harm the very thing it’s meant to protect: trust. Read here for some alternative ideas on tracking.

This list is very much a perfect world scenario. But putting these things in place now whist your children are young will make life with your teenager so much easier in the future.