Model What You Preach

Children watch your screen habits more closely than you think. If you check your phone during conversations, scroll at dinner, or fall asleep with a tablet, your rules ring hollow. Modeling healthy tech use is the single most powerful digital boundary you can set.

Try announcing your own boundaries out loud: "I'm putting my phone away because I want to be present with you." This normalizes intentional tech use, demonstrates self-regulation, and gives your child permission to do the same without feeling weird about it.