Helping kids navigate digital landscape

By Janelle Peregoy

Ding! Ding!

Despite having our Tin Can (Wi-Fi enabled landline for kids) for months, its high-pitched ring still transports me back to 1998. My incoming fourth- and second-graders do not spend mindless hours talking while twisting the vintage cord. They do, however, call their neighborhood friends for approximately 20 seconds to see if they will go outside with them.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its guidance to help support children and parents as they navigate a complicated digital ecosystem (social media, AI, online gaming, podcasts, digital assistants and more). Algorithms reinforce compulsive use while generating even more data about children’s preferences. The relationship that some children and teens cultivate with screens may lead to real-world harm.

In early childhood, frequent screen use correlates with delays in language, cognition and development of social skills. It reduces opportunities for reading, physical movement and exploration. In school-aged children, overuse of digital devices correlates to unhealthy sleep, lower academic performance, reduced attention span, limited exercise and risk for weight gain. Teens may be exposed to inappropriate content that promotes self-harm, eating disorders, violence or other dangerous behaviors. Negative effects may include sleep loss, negative peer pressure, reduced exercise and less time spent with family and friends.

At couples’ retreats, current and future parents frequently raise concerns about these digital minefields. Parents and educators are savvier than ever about the perils of screens and social media use.

How parents can help
The academy’s guidance is balanced. It acknowledges that technology can offer positive outlets, especially in areas such as education, creativity and long-distance social connection. Parents must take an active and engaged role in supervising digital use and ensuring that household technology is used appropriately.

Young children (0-5 years)
Real-world interaction is the most effective way for young children to learn.

• Encourage free play and outdoor activity because movement is necessary for physical development.
• Find media content that promotes faith, learning and social-emotional skills. “Guillermo & Will” are bilingual puppet friends who share silly antics, adventures and a biblical worldview.
• Healthy sleep habits begin early. Create routines (bath/showers, stories/books, family prayer, cuddling, etc.) that naturally relax children before bedtime.
• Watch media with children whenever possible. Use parental controls on all devices.

School-aged kids (6-12 years)
Prioritize balance. Screens should not detract from family time, academics or exercise.

• Delay personal tablets. Shared devices make it easier for parental content monitoring.
• Encourage new hobbies and activities. This is an ideal age to explore sports, music, art/crafts, nature and other new interests!
• Create locations (bedrooms, etc.) and scheduled activities (meals, family nights, etc.) that are intentionally screen-
• Help kids build digital literacy – ad recognition, privacy protection, appropriate use of AI, healthy screen use, and more.
• Find like-minded parents who share similar concerns about smartphones. “Wait until 8^th“ pledges are increasingly common among parents and schools.

Teens (13+)
Mental health is a priority when considering screen use.

• Be vigilant about detecting changes in teens’ conduct, including shifting sleep patterns, irritability, withdrawal from activities or secretive behavior.
• Consider a teen’s maturity and sense of responsibility if allowing for a first smartphone. Use privacy settings and/or purchase a “dumb phone” with talk & text only features.
• Invoke “digital detox” vacations and outings for the whole family!
• Communicate openly and encourage dialogue. Ask to see teens’ social media accounts, favorite memes or videos. The more parents can share in their teens’ digital landscape, the easier it becomes to guide them in their choices.

Resources for parents

• Create a family media plan.
• Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” focuses on our shared humanity in relationship to these greater concerns. Catholic parents should reflect on it.
• Book recommendations include “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt and “10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World” by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D.
• Catholic educators can utilize The Catholic Companion Framework, which offers a model for guiding technology integration through a Catholic lens.

Parents are their children’s first teachers and should model a healthy balance with screens. Discern if adjustments need to made. Then, enjoy some quality, screen-free time with the family!

Janelle Peregoy is associate director of the diocese’s Office for Family Life and Spirituality.