Supporting healthy smartphone use: A practical guide for parents from Nord Anglia’s INSIGHTS

When Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, visits college campuses—which he does a lot—he talks to young people about loneliness, technology use, and their hopes for the future.

What he’s seeing and hearing worries him.

Dining halls are a lot quieter than they used to be, with kids on laptops or phones and rarely talking to each other. Students tell him that they want to connect with other students more, but it feels intrusive: it’s hard to interrupt someone watching a show on Netflix, working on a laptop, or seemingly engrossed in a podcast or TikTok. He asks every young person he meets whether they or anyone they know has struck a good balance between online life and real life. No one has said yes yet.

HOW CAN PARENTS SUPPORT HEALTHY SMARTPHONE USE?

Concern about social media’s impact on children is not new. But it’s gaining remarkable speed.In the recent INSIGHTS article from Nord Anglia Education, award-winning journalist Jenny Anderson explores the impact of increased smartphone use for young people. Titled, ‘From Resignation to Reclamation’, the article cites experts from the world of education and psychology. The main question, how can parents support healthy smartphone use with their children?

PROTECT THE FOUR THINGS CHILDREN NEED MOST TO DEVELOP WELL 

Murthy offers a four-point plan on how to shield children from the worst effects of social media: Protect the four things kids need most to develop well: sleep, learning, in-person connection and physical activity.

• Sleep: Ban phones from bedrooms and enforce a 9pm device cutoff for young people.
• Learning: Remove smartphones from schools to boost test scores. The UK government passed legislation to do this in 2024, and more countries will likely follow.
• In-person connection: Encourage device-free time for children, offer alternatives like cooking together or walking the dog without phones.
• Physical activity: Ensure children exercise—bike rides, tennis, walks, sports with friends, dance—whatever gets them moving for a healthy body and mind.

Parents must constantly navigate the challenges of raising children in a digital age; and by prioritising sleep, learning, in-person connections, and physical activity—collectively known as SLIP—we can support our children in developing healthier habits and more balanced lives.

Click here to read the full INSIGHTS article from Nord Anglia Education.