Could excessive tech time lead to disorderly or worse behavior with your child?

An Iowa teen recently ran away from home when his parents took his cell phone.

As reported by most major outlets, the 13-year-old was found dead about five days later.

While no one will ever know the real reason behind this child’s death, and many issues can affect his behavior, having his mobile phone taken away was definitely a contributing factor to the rift between the child and his parents.

Today many young people are addicted to their tech devices at an early age. Many parents give their children iPads and tablets at the age of two, and some even younger.

Studies are starting to come out pointing to problems associated with technology addiction.

Too much time on the device can lead to slow development of social skills and a lack of communication. It can have long-term physical effects as well with brain development and related issues.

Here are five helpful tips for reducing reliance on technology and increasing healthy conversations.

1. Give young children blocks and toys, not devices. The best toys will engage a child’s senses, spark their imagination, and encourage interaction with others. As they grow, children can use games to explore object constancy and cause-and-effect relationships. They also need things like blocks to help build motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

2. Parents should put their devices away and set a good example. Society’s demands can be tough but mom and dad need to get away from their devices and talk to their kids. Create device free times around dinner and beyond. Interact with your children by playing board games and other activities that encourage conversation. Work-related messages can always be answered after the kids go to bed.

3. Consider giving your child/teenager a foldable phone instead of a smartphone. A foldable phone encourages more conversations, and discourages accessing the Internet and using apps. If you must provide your child with a phone because you do not have a landline, and your child stays home alone, or you need to pick up your child from school or training and you need to be able to communicate, then a flip phone will suffice.

4 Maintain “device boundaries” between your child and their friends so they don’t dominate their lives. When scheduling playdates, sleepovers, social outings…ask the parent about their device policy and respect it. Don’t allow your child to bring their devices to a friend’s house if that family has a device-free policy. If your child must be reached, obtain the parent’s phone number to contact your child.

5. Learn how to limit screen time and block content. If you have concerns about technology, but not to the point where you feel they should be brushed off all together, educate yourself on the best products on the market for blocking content, enforcing screen time limits, etc. Some good apps for that are Circle, and Bark.