Here are 14 creative ways to break your child’s smartphone addiction:

• Be a great role model: They are great observers, and they mimic the habits of parents. Restricting your smartphone usage time allows you extra time to spend with your child. Children learn more from your actions than your words. Follow what you preach. Find more time to spend with your children by interacting, hugging, playing with them rather than just staring at a screen.
• Break time: Make Tv commercial and ad times as active time. Skipping, jumping, climbing stairs etc should be introduced
• Frame a routine / schedule: Homework, studying, housework should be all finished before children get on the mobile device. This helps in setting the priorities at a young age
• Media Plan: there should be a formal family media plan. This will make children learn usage of media in a responsible way.
• Phone should not be used as reward or Distraction: Many parents leverage screen time to encourage children to study/do homework/ do house chores but this could lead to more harm than good. Beware this can have ill effects on the children than do any good.
• Indulge them in activity-based learning: Kids need engagement and entertainment and want to be challenged. Mobile games are attractive as they pose challenges at every new level. By engaging kids in activity-based learning, they can gain knowledge while having fun.
• Bond with your child: Playing board games or engaging your child in activities like cleaning, cooking or gardening will keep her away from smartphones. Encourage your child to pursue hobbies such as listening to music, playing an instrument, reading, or painting. Spend your weekends doing fun family activities like swimming, playing games, watching movies, etc.
  Other things to keep in mind:
  1. Limited usage of the phone when your child is around
  2. No Phones during mealtime
  3. No TV or phone before sleep
  4. Don’t give in to the unreasonable demand of your child
• Active supervision:
  
  • Sitting posture
  • Screen Brightness
  • Screen Distance
  • Interact with them while monitoring to understand what they are doing and help them overcome any challenges they are facing.
• Encourage playtime: Give children the chance to develop gross and fine motor skills, learn new things and socialize. It hugely benefits the physical and mental health of a child.
• Say no to technology as an emotional pacifier: Most parents use gadgets to distract children while feeding, dressing up, and travelling. It is the parents duty to help their child understand and manage strong emotions, find engagements to manage boredom and also communicate with them to overcome any challenges that they face.
• Encourage face-to-face communication: Studies show the two-way communication with children improves language development much more effectively than passive listening or one-way interaction with a screen. Parents should schedule proper time for face-to-face communication or video calls with far-away parents and grandparents to facilitate effective communication skills.