📱 Parents
"He is always on the phone": from scrolling to making
Taking the phone away starts a fight. Leaving it is not an option. A middle path is to keep some screen time but move it from consuming to creating.
Why it happens
The usual causes
Games are built to hook
Instant rewards and endless levels are designed to be hard to stop, for adults as well as children.
Boredom and no alternative
If the only fun thing is on the screen, the screen wins.
Social pull
Friends are online, and being offline can feel like being left out.
No sense of making anything
Passive screen time leaves no sense of achievement. Creating something does.
What usually makes it worse
- Sudden bans with no replacement
- Using the phone as a reward or punishment for studies
- Mocking games the child loves
What helps
Five steps to start this week
- 01Agree rules together
Fixed times and places, no devices at meals or in the bedroom at night. Children keep rules they helped make.
- 02Play with them
Ten minutes of co-play shows you what they love and opens conversation.
- 03Offer a making alternative
Coding a simple game, solving puzzles or learning the Rubik's Cube uses the same curiosity in a useful way.
- 04Give a project, not a lecture
"Let's build a quiz game" works better than "stop playing games".
- 05Set an example
Phones away at family times from you as well.
If you wait
The cost of leaving it
Habits set in the pre-teen years are hard to change later, and time spent making things now builds skills that last.
Try today, free
Things you can do right now
When to ask for help
If your child loves games, a coding teacher can turn that into projects they are proud of. If screen use is affecting sleep, mood or school badly, a counsellor or doctor can also help.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How much screen time is too much?
Follow your paediatrician's guidance and what you see in sleep, mood and school. Balance matters more than a single number.
Is coding a good replacement for gaming?
It is a good addition. Many children who love games enjoy making their own, and it channels the same interest.
Should I use parental controls?
They can help as part of agreed rules, along with conversation. Controls without explanation tend to be bypassed.
Related
Other problems for parents
My Child Is Afraid of Maths
Tears at homework time, "I can't do it" before even trying, a stomach ache on test day. The fear is real, and it is rarely about ability. It is about being wrong in front of someone.
Read more →My Child Studies Hard but Scores Low in Maths
The books are open, the lights are on late, yet the marks do not move. Parents and children both feel cheated. In most cases it is not the hours that are the problem. It is what happens in them.
Read more →Careless Mistakes in Maths
He knew the method and still wrote 7 instead of 9. She solved it perfectly and copied the wrong number. Careless mistakes cost marks, and they feel unfair, but they follow patterns that can be fixed.
Read more →Start a conversation
Tell us about your child or your exam.
Share the class, board and what feels hard. We suggest a starting point and confirm the format before anything is booked.
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- We’ll suggest a suitable class or learning path
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Play it, don't just read it
Take a break and play
Free games that need no sign-up. Pick one and play for five minutes.
Pick a game
- Multiplication MissionBuild times-table fluency, multiplication strategies and division…Play
- Clock GameRead an analogue clock, set the hands by dragging, and work out what…Play
- Mental Maths Sprint60 seconds of quick-fire sums. Type the answer, press Enter and beat…Play
- Maths MeteorsSums fall from space. Type the answers to blast them before they land.Play