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From lockboxes to control apps, parents have long been looking for ways to reduce their children’s screen time. A new study suggests that the answer may lie in the parents’ own screen habits.

Using a phone in front of your child can have greater consequences than you might think.

The study, published this month in the journal Pediatric Research, shows that parental screen use is linked to increased teen screen time – along with problematic use of social media, video games and cell phones. Problematic use can include addictive behaviors such as withdrawal, tolerance development, relapse and obsessions that can interfere with daily life, the study found.

The researchers analyzed data from the national Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which included over 10,000 families with 12- and 13-year-old children. The data showed that 72.9% of parents reported using screens in the presence of their teens. This is a huge indicator of a child’s screen use, said Dr. Jason Nagata, lead author of the study and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.

If a child sees his parents using a screen, he is likely to imitate his parents’ behavior, experts say.

Parents surveyed rated their agreement with statements such as “When I am with my child, I use a screen-based device” on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Each point increase was associated with an increase of nearly 40 minutes in their children’s screen time.

“Even if parents think their children are not paying attention, the data show that one of the biggest predictors of preadolescent screen use is what their parents do with the screens in front of them,” Nagata said.

Dr. Ken Ginsburg, a professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who was not involved in the study, added that parents are role models for their children around the clock.

“Our actions can speak so loudly that children cannot hear our words. Practicing what we preach makes all the difference,” he said.

Using screen time as a reward or consequence can also be counterproductive and increase use. Teens, who may increasingly turn to social media for support and identity, may find these parenting practices intrusive, leading them to reject rules, the study found.

“When parents are too controlling, there are consequences,” Ginsburg said. “Children watch what we do and don’t like to be controlled. When children see that we make rules to control them, they always circumvent those rules.”

According to previous research, children’s average daily screen time has more than doubled during the Covid-19 pandemic, and some countries are grappling with how to curb the potentially negative impacts.

In China, regulators have proposed limiting phone time for minors to two hours a day. In the US, the health secretary called for warning labels on social media apps to prevent “significant harm” associated with their use.

“Screen usage is increasing for everyone,” Nagata said. “While screens themselves are not necessarily bad, teenagers are particularly vulnerable to excessive use.”

In particular, excessive screen use reduces the important sleep duration and quality needed for a child’s healthy development, according to Nagata and previous research.

In addition to role modeling, open communication and creating a media plan are also effective strategies for balanced screen use, according to the study and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Family Media Plan guidelines.

Dr. Susan Tomopoulos, co-developer of the plan and an associate professor of pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine who was not involved in the new study, said increased screen time during the pandemic was an impetus for the academy to update its media recommendations.

“After the pandemic, parents turned to doctors because they wanted to get their family’s media habits under control,” she said, “but they were overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start.”

According to the academy, establishing healthy media behavior begins with a family conversation to adjust screen time guidelines and designate screen-free zones in the home.

According to the study, this is particularly important in the bedroom and dining room, as screen presence there is associated with higher screen time among adolescents as well as problematic use of social networks, video games and mobile phones.

According to Tomopoulos, prioritizing screen-free activities and personal time is crucial for a child’s healthy development.

“Adults and children get caught up in swiping and scrolling so quickly. We really want entire families to examine their digital habits at home … and talk about tech media early and often,” she added.

To start a productive discussion about media use, you first have to convey to the child: “I set rules because it’s important to me,” says Ginsburg, who is also co-founder and program director of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication.

“One of the biggest myths is that teenagers don’t care what their parents say. When we set rules, it’s important that we tell them why,” he said. “The basic message should be, ‘I care about you, so I won’t make mistakes,’ rather than ‘don’t make mistakes.'”

The conversation can end with an agreement on certain principles, such as establishing a “one screen at a time” rule and limiting screen use during mealtime, bedtime, and study time, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

While the ABCD study follows participants into adulthood, it also investigates the long-term effects of excessive screen use in adolescents.

“There will be a lot more guidance for parents to help their children navigate social media,” Nagata said. “The goal is to give children the skills to develop healthy screen behaviors for their young adulthood and beyond.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Dr. Ken Ginsburg’s name.