Spending time on your phone is common nowadays, whether you’re scrolling on social media, watching a movie on a streaming app, or simply playing games. In fact, using your phone for entertainment increases with age, and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids within the early childhood years average between two to three hours of media per day, while teens can spend even eight hours a day on their phones.
It’s hard to say whether a person can live without a smartphone because everything is digitalized. However, the amount of time we use for education and similar purposes is considerably smaller when compared to activities like playing online video games and watching TV shows. Therefore, while we cannot ban them, we can limit phone usage in the most important moments and teach children that life is worth living beyond the screens. This also applies to vacation time, when we tend to leave kids to stay on their phones to relax, but what’s the limit? Let’s discuss.
Is a tech-free vacation possible?
In modern days, it is slightly difficult to get by without technology, such as smartphones, that contain all the applications for ridesharing, food delivery, and banking. Therefore, the smartphone has multiple purposes when traveling, from the moment you open the navigation app to the booking platform. So, there cannot be a tech-free vacation, truly, as you can only limit your phone usage when you don’t necessarily need it, such as in the moments when you tend to scroll on social media.
Therefore, you cannot ban smartphone use for your kids as well, even if they don’t use it for necessary activities. After all, having a smartphone with them can be valuable in times when you need to contact them or are far away from them and need to see their location, so it’s better to allow kids and teenagers to bring their gadgets with them. Make sure that you fully optimize everyone’s mobiles for traveling by using digital sims through which internet and calls are included in a plan, so you won’t need to buy local and more expensive sims. Now you can install digital sims and get the plan you need everywhere across the world; there’s even a Holafly eSIM option for Tunisia, for which you’ll access fast internet and clear video calls.
What does a phone limit look like on a trip?
Regardless of where you’re going, you should try to prioritize family time, as usually we’re too busy to be with each other too much due to work and school. This strategy can take many forms, from blocking certain apps, such as TikTok, to encouraging kids to use mostly educational platforms, like Wikipedia, to learn more about the place they’re visiting.
However, keeping this program can be tiring, and kids might feel like they’re being watched, which can ruin the vacation, so the best thing to do is keep them engaged as much as possible during the day and allow them to have their screen time during the night. When you’re visiting historical sites, museums, or other important spots, it’s ideal to guide your kids towards discussions, light jokes, and simple observations so they won’t feel bored and turn to their phones. Of course, you as parents should follow the same advice, especially since too much time on the phone can have serious consequences for adults.
What if nothing works during the trip?
Starting a new chapter in which you encourage kids not to use their smartphones when they usually do is not an easy journey, so don’t expect it to work for the first time. Considering that more and more people have phone addiction from a young age, this problem must be tackled in time and with patience. You’ll see it in your children when they start having sleep problems, struggle to concentrate, and become lonelier, and addiction starts to form. You will need to take your kids to an expert who is capable of handling the situation through methods like exposure therapy (through which they gradually decrease phone use in sessions) and similar strategies that can rewire the brain.
As a parent, you must be patient with the process and trust professionals, because you alone cannot do it by simply banning mobile phones. Would you be able to simply not use the functionalities of a smartphone from now on? Chances are, you cannot, and thus a kid also needs the proper support and encouragement to not feel the need to reach out for the gadget.
Trying screen-free activities for trips
You can help your kids increase their interest in screen-free activities by playing games with them and giving them alternative activity ideas. You can start with a road trip magazine for kids, such as the interesting National Geographic Kids, which has wonderful imagery and interesting texts. Activity books from LEGO are also great because they include mini-figurines along with the comics to read.
Games should also be included in your to-do list, with IQ games, scavenger hunt games, and even Rush Hour being the best to stimulate the brain. If these are not really fun for your kids, you can allow them to play certain games, such as Terraria, which is almost like Minecraft or Poly Bridge, so the kids can build bridges and play engineering. Remember that your kids are still humans, not robots, and might want some time alone with their headphones and mobiles on, as you, too, as adults, need a few minutes to rewind, as mindlessly as it is to scroll. It’s only important that these activities don’t affect your daily lives.
Final considerations
While a trip with the family sounds divine, you’re already concerned about how much time your kids will spend on their phones. While we understand, it’s important to find the balance between allowing them to stay on their phones and play games or listen to music and making an effort to keep them active in real life. So, be patient in the process and avoid banning phones since they are useful.
