<\/p>\n
This is what the average use of smartphones in the modern family world looks like, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have to be solutions for families that don\u2019t always end in arguments between parents and children,\u201d Christian Eineder thought some time ago, remembering successful workshops with employees on sensitive topics in his working world. Why shouldn\u2019t critical topics also be solvable within the family team in a cooperative setting? Together with his wife and their two sons, he shows that with effective strategies it\u2019s possible to agree on a balanced level of digital media use in the family and organize it together. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Mr. Eineder, how did your project \u201cInternet Agenda for Families<\/a>\u201d come about?<\/em><\/p>\n I don\u2019t just observe this in my own family. Managing attention-grabbing digital media in moderation challenges parents. Children and teenagers simply find smartphones, tablets and the like far more exciting than homework and chores. As parents, we can of course understand that. The question every day is how everything fits together and how our children can have a balanced day. We didn\u2019t learn this from our parents either, so we have to find our own solutions. <\/p>\n You developed practical strategies for your family\u2014how did you go about it?<\/em><\/p>\n I realized that effective solutions that work long term are developed jointly by parents and children. Children\u2019s ideas should definitely be included, because learning through personal experience is the strongest driver. Solutions they develop themselves drastically increase the likelihood they\u2019ll be implemented. We chose a relaxed weekend and took plenty of time to collect the positive and negative aspects of digital media\u2014by that we mean not only smartphones, but also internet use in general, TV and computer games\u2014and to set specific screen-time rules for our family. <\/p>\n And it really works without arguments?<\/em><\/p>\n With a clearly structured process and a defined goal, there\u2019s enough space and clarity for open conversations\u2014actually without arguments. In this atmosphere, children find their way just as well as adults do. <\/p>\n How can other parents benefit from your experience? Do you share what you\u2019ve been through? <\/em><\/p>\n Yes, that\u2019s our philosophy. That\u2019s why easyfaM exists: so parents can be inspired by other parents\u2019 positive experiences without feeling like someone is interfering in their parenting. My family and I have filmed coaching videos for parents on many different hot-button topics. In them, we describe step by step the most successful strategies for dealing with recurring difficult issues in family life. Families with children aged 3 to 16 will benefit most from this. <\/p>\n And what about the discipline of sticking to the agreed rules? Who monitors that? <\/em><\/p>\n Once the first important step of agreeing on the rules together has been taken, it\u2019s crucial how you visualize the current status. A clearly visualized overview that everyone can see at any time avoids unnecessary discussions and helps us and the children regulate ourselves\u2014or learn to do so gradually. When it comes to breaking rules, for example, our children suggested that whoever doesn\u2019t stick to the rules loses their remaining free weekly computer game time <\/a>and isn\u2019t allowed to play during that time. Because the children have a say in creating the rules, they also stick to them. <\/p>\n And the parents? So your smartphone isn\u2019t on the dinner table? <\/em><\/p>\n If we want to be role models for our children, we adults also have to stick to the agreed rules. Children copy what we parents model for them\u2014we need to clearly recognize our responsibility in that regard. During shared mealtimes, phones have no place at the table. This also shows respect for the person you\u2019re talking to. Because it\u2019s so important, we address the topic in several videos, for example in \u201cPlayfully improving manners<\/a>\u201d and \u201cFuture trends and their impact on our children<\/a>\u201d. <\/p>\n What\u2019s your best tip from dad to dad?<\/em><\/p>\n Always form your own opinion about the trending tools\u2014whether it\u2019s video games, series, or social media channels. Keep talking with your children and then decide whether you trust them to handle it responsibly. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every family member is staring at their own phone: Snapchat with friends, checking emails during dinner, Fortnite gaming in the evening, and 24\/7 voluntary WhatsApp availability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/easyfam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}