For many teens, their smartphones have become their best friend and safety blanket. According to research, 56% of teens associate the absence of their cell phone with at least one of these three emotions: loneliness, feeling upset or anxious. On today’s edition of Family Talk, Dr. Kathy Koch (pronounced Cook), author of Screens and Teens: Connecting with Our Kids in a Wireless World, urges parents to set reasonable limits for their children and to remember that the phone doesn’t belong to them; it’s their parents’ phone. Insist on regular phone blackouts. Encourage your teen to engage with you by having a meaningful conversation inside the home, play board games, do a jigsaw puzzle, read a physical book, or shoot hoops with a sibling.

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