Building Better Media Habits

Excessive Internet Use
Internet & Mobile

Time spent using devices is one of parents’ top concerns when it comes to their kids’ digital lives – and is the number one source of conflict between parents and children relating to technology use.[1] News articles that suggest all screen time is harmful also spread much more quickly and widely than those that report more nuanced findings.[2]

It’s tempting for parents to act authoritatively and lay down the law on the number of hours their kids can spend online, but in order to effectively address excessive use, there needs to be an active, voluntary commitment on the part of the young person to control their behaviour. Otherwise, kids will just find ways to work around their parents and be left to their own devices once they’re old enough to leave the house. Even with younger children, overly strict rules can backfire in the long run:[3] as psychologist Peter Gray puts it, “To grow and thrive, children need the freedom to play and explore. And they need to be trusted. That is true not just in the physical world, but now, in our technological age, it is also true in the online world.”[4]

To promote healthful media use, we have to develop kids’ sense that they understand the digital world, that they can control their interaction with it and that their interactions are purposeful.  With the exception of the very youngest kids, therefore, our goal isn’t to reduce screen time as much as possible, but to help them develop habits that will let them balance the harms and benefits.

Balanced use

What do we mean by “balance?” Here are three key elements:

First, balanced device use is manageable: You feel in control of your device use, and it doesn’t get in the way of other things that you need or enjoy.

Second, it’s meaningful: The time you spent feels worthwhile to you. That could be things like learning, creating, connecting with friends and family, but it could also be playing a game or watching a video that’s really engaging and satisfying.

And finally, balanced device use is mindful: You make an intentional choice to do it, and when you’re doing it, you’re present, not distracted or on “autopilot.”

Whether or not a particular thing we do with devices has these three elements – or whether our device use overall does – has a strong relationship with how it impacts our well-being.

Mindful

Mindfulness can significantly mitigate the negative effects of social media use, reducing the risk of compulsive behavior: “There is a growing consensus that moderated and mindful use of social media—rather than abstinence or full autonomy—may be the healthiest for children.”[5]

There are five aspects of mindfulness: being able to observe and identify things that distress or upset us without reacting to them; being aware of our moods, feelings, sensations and the world around us; being conscious, present and intentional when doing things, instead of doing them automatically; being able to clearly describe our feelings; and observing our thoughts, feelings and actions without judging them.[6]

Establishing conscious, deliberate usage rules for specific situations (e.g., no phone during meals, no phone in the bedroom) has been shown to reduce negative side effects even for those with strong checking habits.[7] You don’t have to call them rules, though: Dr. Michael Rich suggests “Don't have media rules, have media expectations” because “expectations are what everybody has of each other in the family… That is much more powerful in the long run than a rule is that you know you can get away with or not.”[8] Similarly, framing rules as routines can make youth more likely to internalize and follow them as they get older.[9] Whenever possible, make sure you follow the same rules as your kids and model mindful tech use – especially when you’re spending time with them.[10] (Three-quarters of parents say they used their phone at their most recent family meal, compared to two-thirds of children.)[11]

Kids are most likely to listen to rules when parents:

  • Talk about both the risks and benefits of media use
  • Explain the reasons behind the rules
  • Give kids a chance to share their perspective and point of view.[12]

A key part of mindful use is identifying and changing our media habits. Once habits are established, though, it can be difficult to change them, and “strong habits are notoriously difficult to control with willpower alone.”[13] Instead, we need to help our kids identify what actions and situations “cue” a habitual use – moods such as boredom or sadness, for instance, or situations like getting out of bed or moments when we’re at loose ends – and provide them with more helpful things to do instead. These substitutes don’t necessarily have to be non-screen activities! Since the goal is to reduce habitual use, not screen time overall, it can be just as effective to replace thoughtless checking or scrolling with an intentional activity such as reading a book on your phone or practicing a language app.[14]

Encourage kids to use timers or time-management apps to keep track of how long they’re doing different things online. It’s easy to lose track of time when we’re watching videos, scrolling social media or playing a video game. Knowing just how long a typical session is can help us use our time more mindfully. You (or they) can also set a limit ahead of time to keep it under control.[15] Keeping track of how you feel after different media activities can reduce negative impacts as well, even without any other changes.[16]

Young Children

Turning on a TV, computer or mobile device should be something you do at particular times, for particular reasons. When you’re not using them, they should be turned all the way off (not just on “sleep”) and put away, if possible. Make sure kids don’t get in the habit of turning devices on as soon as they sit down and don’t have screens on as “background noise.”[17]

Focus on active engagement and content quality rather than just counting minutes.[18] Choose slow-paced content featuring simple stories and as few “bells and whistles” (like extra sound effects or flashy visuals) as possible.[19]

The most effective strategy you can use is co-viewing, where you watch and discuss content alongside your child to turn screen time into a social activity and provide a foundation for active guidance.[20] Educational media is most effective when it’s watched with parents, who can help to extend and reinforce the learning content.[21] Whether a play activity is digital or not “mattered less than the way parents and their children interacted with each other. Whether playing with analog toys or on a tablet, the relationship and interaction style that parents and children brought to their play mattered the most.”[22]

By asking questions about what your child is seeing, you help them develop the critical thinking and self-reflection skills they’ll need to navigate more complex digital environments later on.[23] Co-viewing is also the best way to spot and talk about troubling content in media: MediaSmarts’ tip sheet Co-Viewing With Your Kids can help you do this. When you can’t watch together, make sure you’re familiar with the content of everything your kids are watching and playing so you can talk to them about anything that worries you. 

Doing media activities together is also a good way of helping your kids view it as something you choose at specific times for specific reasons, and is a great way of helping you learn about your kids’ interests.[24] Be mindful of your own "technoference"; by occasionally pointing out your own digital distractions and choosing to put your phone away, you create a powerful "teachable moment" that demonstrates agency in action.[25]

Older Children

Don’t give up on bedtimes and bedtime routines! Teens are even more likely than younger kids to not get enough sleep, because they naturally go to sleep later than adults or younger children.[26] Making sure they get exposed to bright, outdoor light first thing in the morning will also help keep a healthy sleep schedule.[27] If you set a new rule about when your kids are allowed to use media, give them a chance to let their friends know about it. That way they won’t worry their friends will think they’ve abandoned them.[28]

Co-viewing is still helpful with older kids, too, though at this age it may be more about having them show you their media worlds. Psychologist Sarah Myruski recommends that parents and kids “browse the social media feed together. Ask them what’s drawing their attention, what are they thinking and feeling when they see this different content? And also ask them to talk about what they experience online in their day-to-day life. What’s fun about it? What’s worrying about it? What do they wish was different?”[29]

We can teach tweens and teens to recognize their triggers and emotional states (e.g., boredom, anxiety, fatigue) that cue device use. Kids who are less mindful may turn to media more the day after a bad day as a coping mechanism.[30] Habitual use is particularly common during moments of transition between activities – either between media activities, or between media and non-media activities.[31]

To promote more mindful use, we can encourage critical reflection using questions like:

  • What are some ways you already take advantage of media to do things that are important to you?
  • What kinds of content tend to make you feel better or worse, and why?
  • Are there times you turn on or unlock a device without thinking of it? Times you do it in response to a particular feeling or mood?
  • Which apps or games do you find yourself using without thinking of it? When you turn on your device, what’s most likely to be the last app you used?
  • What could you do instead of picking up your device? What could you do in a short session that would be more intentional and make you feel like your use was meaningful?
  • Do you feel like you have to be “always on” in case your friends need you, or to make sure you don’t miss anything?
  • Which media experiences make you feel good afterwards? Which make you feel worse?
  • What are some things you like to do that don’t involve screens? How can we make more time for those?
  • What are some screen activities we can do together?
  • What can you do differently to make the most of media in your life?

Try to Do-Just-One-Thing Challenge: Before you turn on a device or open an app, say why you’re doing it, how you’ll know when you’re done, and what you’re going to do after you’re done. That helps keep you from doing anything other than what you had planned. (You can just say those things in your head if you want, but saying them out loud is a great way to model mindful use for your kids.)

Manageable

Youth who feel that their media use is manageable - that they’re in control of it - report better mental well-being and less problematic use. Conversely, feeling dependent on social media is associated with feeling worse after using it.[32] Feeling like you can control your media use – even if you don’t actually do so – has a positive impact on well-being.[33] This shift in mindset helps individuals view their use as meaningful and useful, which may explain why taking any steps to manage your media use has a stronger relationship with positive well-being than any specific way of managing it.[34] Parents should be careful not to treat media use as something that’s always negative, but as just one of the things we manage in our children’s lives.[35]

Part of making our media use manageable is managing our expectations. Habit change happens gradually, and feeling guilty about setbacks actually makes it harder in the future.[36] In the same way, we’re more likely to fail if we think of ourselves as drawing on a limited reserve of willpower.[37]

Young Children

Try to expose babies and toddlers to as little screen time as possible, whether it’s TV and videos or interactive media like educational apps. The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends no screen time for children under two and no more than an hour per day for children ages two to five. If you have older children as well, explain to them why they need to limit screen time around their younger siblings.

Set clear rules and routines about when and where screen devices can be used[38] – and also for when some specific media activities are allowed and others aren’t.[39] This should include stopping all screen media use and keeping connected devices out of the bedroom. Kids who get more sleep are less likely to experience negative effects from media,[40] and it’s easier for older kids to maintain a good sleep schedule if they already have one.

Learning how to manage their emotions can make it easier for kids to end a screen activity and spend time away from their devices. Help kids develop their emotional vocabulary, encourage them to talk openly about their feelings[41] and teach them simple emotional management techniques for when they feel upset like listening to music or doing a “body scan” to identify their feelings.[42] Doing this when they’re young will also pay off later, because they won’t feel the need to respond to every post they see once they start using social media.[43]

When it’s time to turn off the screen, you can ease the transition by anticipating a reaction and having a favorite non-screen activity ready to start, shifting the focus from "stopping" to "starting" something else enjoyable.[44] Make sure they know ahead of time when the activity will end; if they do get upset, try to stay calm and “give them space to settle.”[45] Strengthening these habits early ensures that technology remains a tool for your child's growth rather than a source of mindless distraction.[46]

Older Children

For long-term success, we need to shift away from strict restrictions toward equipping adolescents with strategies for healthy engagement. While explicit rules help kids under 12 manage their media use, teens whose households have strict screen-time rules are actually more likely to develop problematic use[47] and explicit rules become counterproductive when kids hit their mid-teens.[48]

You can help your kids think about the specific features of different media tools and how those features may affect them differently. Are there ways to change the features that lead to less mindful use, or to use the tool as though those features had been changed?[49] Explain to kids how designers leverage psychological vulnerabilities via features like infinite scrolling (removing stopping cues) and variable reinforcement (unpredictable rewards like likes or loot boxes), which function similarly to slot machines. The design goal is to create automatic, unconscious habit loops, such as the “algorithmic loop” that delivers content the platform thinks is most likely to be engaging, tracks users’ responses to it, and then uses that to deliver even more engaging content. “Recognizing that the product is habit-forming empowers users to reassert control.”[50]

For instance, if your child has a tablet or smartphone, encourage them to turn off notifications for as many apps as possible. That way, instead of getting a constant stream of updates about who liked whose photo, they’ll have to take a moment to open that app to check. In most mobile devices, you can turn off app notifications by going to Settings and then either Notifications or Apps and Notifications. Most mobile devices also have a setting called Do Not Disturb that let you turn all notifications off during certain times; however, there is evidence that using this feature may lead to more screen time, at least in the short term.[51] What seems to work better is “batching” notifications – turning them off most of the time and making a schedule to check them every now and then.[52]

You can also use tools’ features to make it harder to use them automatically. Occasionally changing how you unlock a device – moving from PIN to pattern, for example[53] – can add enough “friction” to interrupt an automatic checking habit.[54] Switching your devices to greyscale can also lead to less and, in particular, less problematic screen use.[55]

If you can identify the times and places when kids are more likely to use devices out of habit, changing those routines can also help change media habits. If they’re always using their devices at certain times and places – if there’s a red light that takes a particularly long time to change on their walk to school, for example – changing the route they take can reduce that habitual use.[56] Because habitual use usually includes habitual actions, times when apps change their interface provide an opportunity to disrupt unwanted habits, too.[57]

Another approach is the “ten minutes later” rule: tell kids that if they feel the urge to turn on a device, they can – in ten minutes. This helps them to reflect on whether they actually have a reason for wanting to use it or are just feeling a habitual response.[58]

As noted above, a big part of why teens may not feel their use is manageable is because they think their friends expect them to be available at all times – and may feel like they’re letting their friends down if they’re not there to support them when needed.[59] As a result, many teens want to unplug, but don’t want to be the first to do it.

Teens’ sensitivity to social norms can be an advantage, though, if we tell them that both screen time in general and heavy social media use in particular appear to be declining in Canada[60] - and that the number of kids choosing to take breaks from their devices has more than doubled since 2022.[61] Establishing social norms about media use is more effective than trying to get individuals to change their behaviour,[62] and telling people that a norm is changing seems to be a particularly effective way of “promoting new norms when they haven’t yet managed to go mainstream.”[63]

Meaningful

Help your kids see screen activities as something you choose, rather than something that’s on in the background or that you turn on as a habit. Meaningful use can also involve consciously choosing content that makes us feel better, such as “inspiring”[64] or body-positive content, or using “shifters” like music or nature sounds[65] to improve our mood.

Except with very young children, we should focus not on “screen time” in general, or even broad categories like “social media,” but instead pay attention to which activities are more meaningful and which features promote more or less meaningful use.[66] These may not be the same for everyone: “findings suggest that what might be beneficial to one group, may be harmful (or less beneficial) for the other group.”[67]

At all ages, it’s also important to provide kids with meaningful non-media activities as alternatives; otherwise, reducing one screen activity may just lead to more of another.

“Your goal should not just be ‘less phone use,’ but also ‘more other stuff.’” Jacqueline Nesi[68]

Young Children

With younger kids, select their media options yourself, and only allow older kids to watch or play media you’ve approved. There can be worrying content in media for all ages. For kids over two, the quality of the content can make the difference between a positive and a negative viewing experience.

As they get older, use parental controls and other tools to limit what content kids are exposed to, and continue to curate their media experiences with tools like playlists. Steer kids towards screen experiences that are active, social, educational or creative.

  • Active screen activities include games that require you to move your whole body to play (“exergames”) and screen activities that take you outside, such as birdwatching using the Merlin app.
  • Social activities involve a meaningful interaction with someone you know, such as video chats with friends and family. There’s a world of difference between playing a single-player or a multiplayer video game where you only interact through the chat window and playing a multiplayer game with people who are sitting on the couch with you.
  • There is no shortage of good-quality educational content on the internet. Whatever your child’s interests, organizations like PBS, TVO, National Geographic and the National Film Board have video lessons, interactive educational games and even live events that will give them a chance to explore a wide range of topics.
  • Today’s digital devices make it easier than ever to be creative. Kids can make video games or animations with specialized tools like Game Maker or simple coding languages like Scratch, use their phones to make stop motion animations with apps like Stop Motion Studio or Clapmotion or explore music-making tools as simple as Chrome Music Lab or as versatile as Audacity. Having hobbies that kids choose for themselves, and pursue out of their own interest, has been found to make young people more resilient.[69]

Older Children

Promoting young people’s sense of coherence also means adopting an autonomy-supportive style when discussing technology use.[70] This approach values the young person's opinions and explains the rationale behind rules,[71] which leads to less resistance and less concealment of use.[72] As Dr. Michael Rich puts it, what works best is to “shift your view of yourself as an enforcer – policing your kids in a media use tug-of-war – to a supporter of their success.”[73]

To do that, we need to acknowledge that most young people have mixed feelings about digital media in general, and social media in particular;[74] to recognize that most have a generally positive experience with it but also that they often have qualms about its role in their lives.

Older kids are still affected by what they see in media, particularly news content, and are likely to feel stressed or overwhelmed if they don’t feel in control of it.[75] Teach them how to take control by training their recommendation algorithms and encouraging them to follow reliable, non-sensationalist news sources.

It’s also important to help kids avoid using media to ruminate on worries or negative experiences[76] – and in particular, using it to co-ruminate with peers.[77] Muting or unfollowing accounts[78] that trigger worry or anxiety can help;[79] so can learning to recognize when “continuing to discuss a problem – either with your or with peers – seems only to be aggravating an emotional wound.”[80]

We can show respect for their knowledge and experience by asking them questions like:

  • “What do adults not understand about media?”
  • “What do you like and dislike about it?”
  • “What can we do together to improve it?”

This process of asking reflective questions helps teens develop digital metacognition—the ability to monitor and recognize patterns in their own media use.

It’s also vital to make sure kids have access to mental health supports outside of social media. Youth who see digital media as a source of emotional and social support are more likely to use it “as a resource rather than a refuge, extending existing strengths rather than compensating for acute or chronic deficits,”[81] but many look to social media for that support.[82] While this can be helpful, it can also make it harder to change their habits if their social media use is harmful in other ways.

When’s the right age to get a phone?

For many parents, this is one of the most important media-related decisions. Despite what you might think, it is parents’ decision: MediaSmarts’ research found that two-thirds of kids got their first phones because their parents wanted them to have it, not because they asked for it.[83]

Some research has found that getting a smartphone at age 12 or earlier is associated with greater risks of depression, obesity and insufficient sleep. The younger they are when they get the phone, the stronger the connection.[84] On the other hand, other studies have found no connection between the age at which kids get smartphones and depressive symptoms, grades or sleep.[85] By age 13, owning a smartphone is only a risk factor for insufficient sleep, and only among kids who keep their phones in their rooms after bedtime.[86]

In general, waiting to give children a smartphone seems to have multiple benefits and relatively few drawbacks.[87] One compromise is starting out with a minimal or “dumb” phone that can only do texts and voice calls. This can be helpful if your kids see it as a way of increasing their independence – for instance, if you let them roam more widely, stay out later, make plans with friends on their own[88] or spend time in nature. If they feel that it’s reducing their independence or that you’re imposing on it, though, it’s unlikely to have any benefits.[89]

Before letting your child have a mobile device like a smartphone, agree on a set of rules that includes when and where they’re allowed to use it. You can use MediaSmarts’ Family Guidelines for New Tech Devices to get started.

[1] Brisson-Boivin, Kara. (2018). “The Digital Well-Being of Canadian Families.” MediaSmarts. Ottawa. 

[2] Neuhaus, R., & O’Connor, E. (2025). The interplay between sensationalism and scientific information framing: Examining the representation of screen time research online and on social media in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 19(3), 619-633.

[3] Chapman, S. (2025, February 12.) What is Good Mental Health in Children and How Do We Promote It? [Conference Session]  Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Virtual.

[4] Gray, P. (2025) Smartphone Ownership Correlates with Wellbeing in 11- to 13-Year-Olds. Play Makes Us Human.

[5] Ackermans, M., Sauce, B., & Miedzobrodzka, E. Children’s Social Media Use, Depression, and Socioeconomic Inequalities-A Longitudinal Investigation Based on the ABCD Study®.

[6] Jones, A., Hook, M., Podduturi, P., McKeen, H., Beitzell, E., & Liss, M. (2022). Mindfulness as a mediator in the relationship between social media engagement and depression in young adults. Personality and individual differences, 185, 111284.

[7] Koban, K. (2025). When Digital Connectivity Drivers Meet Digital Disconnection: A Cross-Country Study on Smartphone Checking, Digital Disconnection Strategies, and Digital Stress. Mobile Media & Communication, 20501579251378561

[8] Rich, M. (2026, February 12.) Identifying and Addressing Problematic Interactive Media Use. [Conference Session]  Boston Children’s Hospital. Virtual.

[9] Etchells, P. (2024). Unlocked: The real science of screen time (and how to spend it better). Piatkus.

[10] Nesi, J. (2026) Unpacking the “two things can be true” of technoference. Techno Sapiens.

[11] Wu, J., Lapierre, M. A., Garibay, C. S., & Choi, E. Parent and Child Media Use During Family Meals in US Households. JAMA Pediatrics.

[12] Nesi, J., Wolff, J. C., Diab, E. M., Velotta, S. K., Sequeira, S. L., DeMartino, E., ... & Thomas, J. G. (2026). Multimethod assessment of parenting strategies for managing early adolescents' social media use. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 36(1), e70127.

[13] Anderson, I. A., & Wood, W. (2025). Overestimates of social media addiction are common but costly. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 393

[14] Anderson, I. A., & Wood, W. (2025). Overestimates of social media addiction are common but costly. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 393

[15] Hamilton, J. L., Kruzan, K. P., Szlyk, H., Reyes-Portillo, J., Biernesser, C., Jensen, M., ... & Weigle, P. (2025). Who Is Most at Risk?: Identifying the Risks for Mental Health Problems Related to Social Media. In Handbook of Children and Screens (pp. 157-164). Springer, Cham.

[16] (2026) The Children and Screens Guide for Childhood Development and Media Use: Adolescence Ages 11-18. Children and Screens.

[17] (2026) Screen time guidance for under 5s. Best Start in Life.

[18] Hamilton, J. L., Kruzan, K. P., Szlyk, H., Reyes-Portillo, J., Biernesser, C., Jensen, M., ... & Weigle, P. (2025). Who Is Most at Risk?: Identifying the Risks for Mental Health Problems Related to Social Media. In Handbook of Children and Screens (pp. 157-164). Springer, Cham.

[19] (2026) Screen time guidance for under 5s. Best Start in Life.

[20] Rich, M. (2024). The mediatrician's guide: A joyful approach to raising healthy, smart, kind kids in a screen-saturated world. Harper Horizon.

[21] Davis, K. (2023). Technology's Child: digital media’s role in the ages and stages of growing up. Mit Press.

[22] Davis, K. (2023). Technology's Child: digital media’s role in the ages and stages of growing up. Mit Press.

[23] Etchells, P. (2024). Unlocked: The real science of screen time (and how to spend it better). Piatkus.

[24] Davis, K. (2023). Technology's Child: digital media’s role in the ages and stages of growing up. Mit Press.

[25] Davis, K. (2023). Technology's Child: digital media’s role in the ages and stages of growing up. Mit Press.

[26] Boyd, R.C., Leve, L., Pfeifer, J.H., Williams, J.L., and the National Scientific Council on Adolescence. (2024). Early Adolescence: A Window of Opportunity for Educators to Support Positive Mental Health.

[27] Daniel, A. (2026) Teens are sleeping less than ever and screens aren’t primarily to blame. NPR.

[28] Rich, M. (2024). The mediatrician's guide: A joyful approach to raising healthy, smart, kind kids in a screen-saturated world. Harper Horizon.

[29] “Browse the social media feed together. Ask them what’s drawing their attention, what are they thinking and feeling when they see this different content? And also ask them to talk about what they experience online in their day-to-day life. What’s fun about it? What’s worrying about it? What do they wish was different?”

[30] Nesi, J., Burnell, K., Fox, K. A., Armstrong-Carter, E., Field, N. H., Maza, M. T., ... & Telzer, E. H. (2025). Objectively measured smartphone pickups among adolescents: Associations with daily positive and negative affect and mindfulness. Psychology of Popular Media.

[31] Turner, G., Gastelum, M., Anderson, I., Brufal, Z., Dillmann, S., Fassi, L., ... & Tentori, M. (2026). Relating smartphone ‘App-journeys’ to mental health: A novel network analysis approach.

[32] Lee, A. Y., Ellison, N. B., & Hancock, J. T. (2023). To use or be used? The role of agency in social media use and well-being. Frontiers in Computer Science, 5, 1123323.

[33] Gilbert, A., Klingelhoefer, J., & Meier, A. (2024). Disconnect to recharge: Well-being benefits of digital disconnection in daily life. Communication Research, 00936502251387830.

[34] Klingelhoefer, J., Nguyen, M. H., & Geber, S. (2025). Do Disconnection Strategies Improve Well-Being and Productivity? A Two-Wave Panel Study Over One Month.

[35] Wolfers, L. N., Nabi, R. L., & Walter, N. (2025). Too much screen time or too much guilt? How child screen time and parental screen guilt affect parental stress and relationship satisfaction. Media Psychology, 28(1), 102-133.

[36] Halfmann, A. (2021). Digging deeper into the reasons for self-control failure: Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to use mobile communication shape self-control processes. Mass Communication and Society, 24(6), 843-866.

[37] Job, V., Walton, G. M., Bernecker, K., & Dweck, C. S. (2013). Beliefs about willpower determine the impact of glucose on self-control. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(37), 14837-14842.

[38] Lien, A., Li, X., Keown-Stoneman, C. D., Cost, K. T., Vanderloo, L. M., Carsley, S., ... & Birken, C. S. (2024). Parental use of routines, setting limits, and child screen use during COVID-19: findings from a large Canadian cohort study. Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 3, 1293404.

[39] Gupta, L., Bharti, D., & Singhal, S. (2026). Not all clicks are equal: digital dose, content, and user disposition in mental health. Academia Mental Health and Well-Being, 3(1).

[40] Sullivan, E., Toseeb, U., & Henderson, L. Mediating effects of sleep in the association between latent dimensions of smartphone/social media behaviours and mental health in adolescents.

[41] Jones, A., Hook, M., Podduturi, P., McKeen, H., Beitzell, E., & Liss, M. (2022). Mindfulness as a mediator in the relationship between social media engagement and depression in young adults. Personality and individual differences, 185, 111284.

[42] Moyer, M.W. (2025) Hello, Cruel World!: Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times. G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

[43] Wang, R. A. H., Huang, V. S., Sadiq, S., Smittenaar, P., Kemp, H., & Sgaier, S. K. (2026). Heterogeneity in Youth Social Media Engagement and Its Pathways to Mental Health and Wellbeing. medRxiv, 2026-03.

[44] Rich, M. (2024). The mediatrician's guide: A joyful approach to raising healthy, smart, kind kids in a screen-saturated world. Harper Horizon.

[45] (2026) Why does my kid fall apart when I take devices away? Tech/Life Balance.

[46] Lee, A. Y., Ellison, N. B., & Hancock, J. T. (2023). To use or be used? The role of agency in social media use and well-being. Frontiers in Computer Science, 5, 1123323.

[47] Geurts, S., Koning, I., Van den Eijnden, R., & Vossen, H. (2025). Parental Internet-Specific Rules and the Onset of Adolescents’ Problematic Social Media Use: Prospective Study Testing Potential Moderators. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, e64252.

[48] Geurts, S., Koning, I., Van den Eijnden, R., & Vossen, H. (2025). Parental Internet-Specific Rules and the Onset of Adolescents’ Problematic Social Media Use: Prospective Study Testing Potential Moderators. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, e64252.

[49] Salminen, S. (2025). Unfolding the rabbit hole–Social media features and their impact on the well-being of children.

[50] Anderson, I., & Wood W. Your social media addiction is overrated. The Washington Post.

[51] Liao, M., & Sundar, S. S. (2022). Sound of silence: Does Muting Notifications Reduce Phone Use?. Computers in Human Behavior, 134, 107338.

[52] Kushlev, K., & Leitao, M. R. (2020). The effects of smartphones on well-being: Theoretical integration and research agenda. Current opinion in psychology, 36, 77-82.

[53] Corneille, R. A., & de Wit, J. (2022). Unplug from Your Distractions: The Effects of Smartphone Screen Time Interventions on Self-Regulation and Procrastination (Doctoral dissertation, Master’s thesis]. Tilburg University).

[54] Olson, J. A., Sandra, D. A., Chmoulevitch, D., Raz, A., & Veissière, S. P. (2021). A ten-step behavioural intervention to reduce screen time and problematic smartphone use.

[55] Holte, A. J., Giesen, D. T., & Ferraro, F. R. (2021). Color me calm: Grayscale phone setting reduces anxiety and problematic smartphone use. Current Psychology, 1-13.

[56] Ross, M. Q., Rhee, L., Le, H., Mount, J., Chang, Y. J., & Bayer, J. B. (2025). Smartphone habits are stronger in spaces chosen out of habit. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 41252.

[57] Anderson, I. A., & Wood, W. (2021). Habits and the electronic herd: The psychology behind social media’s successes and failures. Consumer Psychology Review, 4(1), 83-99.

[58] Eyal, N. (2025). Indistractable, Updated Edition: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Simon and Schuster.

[59] Weinstein, E., & James, C. (2022). Behind their screens: What teens are facing (and adults are missing). MIT press.

[60] The mental health and well-being of Ontario students, 1991–2023: Findings from the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS). Toronto, ON: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

[61] Hall, R. (2025) Children limiting own smartphone use to manage mental health, survey finds. The Guardian.

[62] Kalkstein, D. A., Hook, C. J., Hard, B. M., & Walton, G. M. (2023). Social norms govern what behaviors come to mind—And what do not. Journal of personality and social psychology, 124(6), 1203.

[63] Brownstein, M., Madva, A., & Kelly, D. (2025). Somebody should do something: How anyone can help create social change. MIT Press.4ki

[64] Nabi, R. L., Walter, N., Myrick, J. G., Wang, M., & Ekeler, B. (2025). Media versus meditation: A comparison of the stress-relieving benefits of multiple media experiences. Psychology of Popular Media.

[65] Glassman, H., & Russo, F. (2026). Impact of Soundscapes on Mental Well-Being and Physiological Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

[66] Unfolding the rabbit hole–Social media features and their impact on the well-being of children.

[67] Ackermans, M., Sauce, B., & Miedzobrodzka, E. Children’s Social Media Use, Depression, and Socioeconomic Inequalities-A Longitudinal Investigation Based on the ABCD Study®.

[68] Nesi, J. (2026) Planning a digital detox? Read this first. Techno Sapiens.

[69] Damour, L. (2024). The emotional lives of teenagers: Raising connected, capable, and compassionate adolescents. Ballantine Books.

[70] Multimethod assessment of parenting strategies for managing early adolescents' social media use. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 36(1), e70127.

[71] Weinstein, N., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The impacts of motivational framing of technology restrictions on adolescent concealment: Evidence from a preregistered experimental study. Computers in Human Behavior, 90, 170-180.

[72] (2026) The Children and Screens Guide for Childhood Development and Media Use: Adolescence Ages 11-18. Children and Screens.

[73] Rich, M. (2024). The mediatrician's guide: A joyful approach to raising healthy, smart, kind kids in a screen-saturated world. Harper Horizon.

[74] Hollis, H., & Kina V .P. (2026) ‘I love it, but I hate it’: Young people’s experiences and expectations of growing up digital. Nuffield Foundation

[75] Cline, S. (2026) Experts talk how to navigate distressing news stories and finding coping mechanisms. The Associated Press.

[76] Seo, H. (2023) How to Stop Ruminating. The New York Times.

[77] Damour, L. (2024). The emotional lives of teenagers: Raising connected, capable, and compassionate adolescents. Ballantine Books.

[78] Lee, A. Y., Ellison, N. B., & Hancock, J. T. (2023). To use or be used? The role of agency in social media use and well-being. Frontiers in Computer Science, 5, 1123323.g

[79] Seo, H. (2023) How to Stop Ruminating. The New York Times.

[80] Damour, L. (2024). The emotional lives of teenagers: Raising connected, capable, and compassionate adolescents. Ballantine Books.

[81] Wang, R. A. H., Huang, V. S., Sadiq, S., Smittenaar, P., Kemp, H., & Sgaier, S. K. (2026). Heterogeneity in Youth Social Media Engagement and Its Pathways to Mental Health and Wellbeing. medRxiv, 2026-03.

[82] Wilson, C. (2026) One in 10 teens seeking mental health support from headspace cite social media ban as an issue. Crikey.

[83] MediaSmarts. (2022). “Young Canadians in a Wireless World, Phase IV: Life Online.” MediaSmarts. Ottawa.

[84] Barzilay, R., Pimentel, S. D., Tran, K. T., Visoki, E., Pagliaccio, D., & Auerbach, R. P. (2026). Smartphone Ownership, Age of Smartphone Acquisition, and Health Outcomes in Early Adolescence. Pediatrics, 157(1), e2025072941.

[85] Sun, X., Haydel, K. F., Matheson, D., Desai, M., & Robinson, T. N. (2023). Are mobile phone ownership and age of acquisition associated with child adjustment? A 5-year prospective study among low-income Latinx children. Child development, 94(1), 303-314.

[86] Bren, Z., Tran, K. T., Visoki, E., Waasdorp, T. E., Moore, T. M., Pimentel, S. D., & Barzilay, R. (2026). Smartphone Acquisition and Use at Age 13 Years and Health Outcomes at Age 14 Years. JAMA Pediatrics.

[87] Vaterlaus, J. M., Carney, T., & Kroemer-Spiess, P. (2026). Delaying adolescent smartphone ownership: A qualitative dyadic study with parents and adolescents. Journal of Children and Media, 1-21.

[88] Davis, K. (2023). Technology's Child: digital media’s role in the ages and stages of growing up. Mit Press.

[89] Lee, A. Y., Stevic, A., Walker-Keleher, G., Chen, C. Q. A., Charity, E., Dahlke, R., & Hancock, J. (2026, April). Going Light: The Effects of Minimal Mobile Phone Adoption on Young Adults’ Well-Being Depend on Motivation. In Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-18).