Are you spending less personal time on social media than you used to?
As parents we often try to minimize screen time for our kids, especially when it comes to kids and social media, and I wonder how well we are watching out for ourselves in this regard. I feel like a lot of my friends are making an effort to spend less and less time on social media, and it seems like a growing trend. I'd love to hear about changes that others are making when it comes to personal use of social media.
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Great question! I've found social media less effective now than it used to be for actually keeping relationships healthy, so I've intentionally backed away. It's so easy to get sucked in!
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Yes, exactly this! I find it hard to have meaningful interactions, but soooo easy for an hour to suddenly slip away while mindlessly flitting from one page to the next.
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I've been much more conscious of my social media use since I stopped working. I'm not sure if I actually spend more time online or if I just notice it more because I otherwise wouldn't be sitting on a computer/phone. As I see my 7yo's obsession with his iPad, it definitely makes me want to model healthy behavior and put my phone down more!
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My 3 yo recently made up a song that goes "Mommy finger, mommy finger, what do you do? Doing computer. Doing computer. That's what I do" which made me realize I needed to cut back on my own screen time around her.
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I had a similar realization a few years ago, when my daughter's Mother's Day "fill-in-the-blank" card indicated that the "one thing I would change about my mom" is that I "spend less time on my phone"...ouch! From the mouths of babes come some hard truths!!
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Mine is the same it has always been. I'm good with that even though there are days I want to be less interested in what's happening arounon these platforms. That said, we moved 8 months ago. I focused so much on helping my kids adjust that I felt really alone. These various outlets helped me feel less away from family and friends. It also helped me find out about local activities and allowed me to meet new people. My husband and I signed our kids up on Facebook messenger for kids so they could regularly chat with cousins, grandparents, etc. I'm feeling like we are conscious of our time online but also recognize that we are navigating our lives with social media in mind.
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What a wonderful point! At its best, social media definitely makes it easier for us to stay connected to those we love and with whom we may not be able to have regular contact otherwise, and so continue to share in one another's lives in some way!
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I still spend too much time scrolling newsfeeds across various platforms but I have become more selective on what I share personally.
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I definitely post less on Facebook than I used to, but the Instagram story has become a bit of an addiction for me!
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LOVE the Instagram story! I find myself down a dark hole checking those out and making my own some times!
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This is me as well. Its so easy to get sucked in while just trying to look up information or send a quick message.
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I feel like this is a constant struggle. As a stay-at-home mom, I'm always trying to strike a balance between being responsive and connected to friends and family outside of my home, while trying to be completely available to my kids at the same time. It's easy to get lost in a text conversation with a friend when I'm "supposed" to be immersed in some game of make believe in real life. ;) I think it's something that I am continuously working on.
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I try not to be online when my kids are with me because they will just want to take my phone from me anyway. But personal use of social media only, I spend less time. I will scroll Facebook and Instagram for a few minutes and then be done, or just check notifications. However, I also use social media for work, mostly Twitter and LinkedIn so am on that during the day too, even though it's not as much personal, it definitely overlaps.
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That's the truth. I have trouble even taking pictures of my daughter these days because she just wants to grab my phone! This is where my Apple watch has come in handy, so that when I'm with her I don't feel as tempted to look at my phone.
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I think the downside to social media is the negative backlash and comments from a mom or dad who has a legitimate question and is made to feel bad for putting themselves out there. I am reading too many of these posts lately and it makes me click out of my social media for awhile.
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I see that all the time, Kristy. It is also a shame that a parent has to write a disclaimer before they post, like, please don't judge, or directly ask for no negative comments.
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Oh gosh I really try, but I do find myself zoning out on Instagram most evenings! I actually got an Apple watch to help with this- so I can set my phone in a different room but still have access to texts and emails as they come in. It's helped a little but not as much as I had hoped!
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I come from a BIG family (36 brothers/sisters, in-laws, nieces/nephews, parents) so we are on social media a lot sharing photos and stories with each other.
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I deleted social media apps from my phone (Facebook and Instagram), and it has been so liberating. It's been 8 or 9 months now, and I don't anticipate ever adding them back. I'll look once in a while on my computer just so I don't miss any school-related things, but I feel like I have broken myself of the temptation to always be picking up my phone and wasting time. It also sets a much better example for my kids, as they get older and have friends who are getting into social media. Much easier to have good conversations with them about the reasons for staying off of these apps when I'm actually doing it myself, too.
