Gah! It has been such a challenge to keep our daughter off her electronic devices! If we tell her to get off the computer, she goes on her tablet. If we tell her not to use her tablet, she grabs her cell phone. If we say no cell phone, she sits in a corner with her e-reader. If we make her turn that off, she jumps back on the computer. It has been a never-ending cycle of going from one device to another all summer long.
Mobile Usage Out of Control
We don’t mind her using them but every waking moment? Really? Sometimes, it’s only five minutes between reminders or less. The girl is addicted! It seems that many of her friends have a mobile device or two glued to their hands at any given moment as well.
Frans and I have tried so many different methods in curbing her use but every moment of every day is still a challenge. We can’t take them away completely since she often needs her phone for communication with us, her computer for schoolwork, and her tablet and e-reader for reading. Yet, if we’re not watching her like a hawk, she’ll sneak a game or two in even while under the covers in bed.
Setting Rules for Different Settings and Needs
We’ve tried using parental controls built into her phone but those are too restrictive for a young teen. Time to start using Curbi again. With Curbi, you can set “rules” for different occasions to specify certain sites and times you child can use on their mobile device. These can be easily changed, added, deleted, and adjusted to fit your family’s needs.
Here are a few examples:
- Block all internet games, time wasting sites and social networking (but allow Wikipedia and Khan Academy) from 4 pm to 6 pm on week days and call it Study Time
- Block everything from 9 pm to 8 am on weekdays and 10 pm to 8 am on weekends and call it Bed Time
- Block everything from 6 pm to 7 pm and call it Dinner Time
- Do whatever you want
By setting up these rules, Curbi can help me keep my daughter’s mobile usage in check when I can’t. Plus, it gives both of us some breathing room and flexibility so she can learn to gauge her own screen time better. With school starting, she really needs to focus on her studies instead of lazing around all day playing like she was during summer.
You can take advantage of the 14-day trial and thereafter it is $6.99 for up to five devices. Follow these links for the latest updates on Curbi.
2 comments
I’m headed to the website. We need some help with this at our house too and we’ve tried a few things to keep track. We were hoping to not pay too much per month but this might be worth the fee. Thanks for the intro.
You’re welcome. It seems like a constant battle and, especially if you have more than one child, the fee is not bad.
Comments are closed.