comfort, or gratification. Instead, they will seek out alternative activities that can provide that natural dopamine boost! • Be a Role Model – Show your children how to balance screen time by putting away your phone during meals or family time. Make time for activities together without screens, whether it is baking cookies, playing a board game, doing sports, or trying a new restaurant. These shared experiences will build strong family bonds that cannot be replaced by screens. Is it too late to stop? It’s never too late to make a change! Even if your child has been spending a lot of time on screens, there is still hope. Start by gradually cutting back on their screen time, as this approach works better than abruptly removing all access. Remember that screen use triggers dopamine – a brain chemical that makes activities feel rewarding and even addictive. So, if screens are taken away too quickly, children may react strongly and negatively. Gradual adjustments can allow the brain time to adapt while you replace it with other activities that involve human and social connection. With patience, positive modeling, and consistency, your child can develop healthy habits that balance screen time with other meaningful activities. 90 HAWAII PARENT May/June 2025 gate this digital maze: • Set Clear Boundaries – Work with your child to set screen time limits and parental controls. Explain to them that these tools are not meant to be punitive, but to help keep them safe and establish reasonable expectations. • Create an Optimal Environment – Keep screens out of bedrooms and dining areas. Designate specific areas where devices are allowed, ideally in locations that are not easily visible or accessible. Simply seeing a device can trigger our brain to expect excitement or stimulation, which makes it even harder for children to resist the urge to use it. • Know When to Introduce Phone Use – Delay giving your child their phone for as long as possible. If a phone is necessary for safety or communication, choose devices that provide only basic functions, such as texting and calling. Even well-known figures in the tech industry, like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, supported limiting and delaying access to electronic devices for their own children. In fact, Bill Gates once shared in an interview that he did not allow his children to have smartphones until they turned 14. • Encourage Alternative Activities – Keep books, art supplies, and small toys readily available in common areas (e.g. car, living room). For older children, introduce a new hobby or sport. Even if they may not seem interested at first, it is important not to give up too quickly because patience and persistence are key to developing new habits and routines. When children grow up with less screen time, they are less likely to become dependent on it because they are not conditioned to turn to screens for instant entertainment, About the Author Dr. Elsa Lee is a neuropsychologist and clinical director at Assets School. She oversees the Transforming Lives Center that provides psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations for school-aged children across the state of Hawai’i. “Start by gradually cutting back on their screen time, as this approach works better than abruptly removing all access.”
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