Over half of teens and preteens surveyed by Common Sense Media reported using their phones overnight. Over 59% of kids were online between Midnight and 5 am. The impact this has on their sleep is undeniable. You don’t need a medical degree to know that good sleep is fundamental for teens and preteens. If you want your teens to get the quality sleep they need, you may wonder how to prevent your child using their phone at night. In this article, we will address how you can turn block usage of your child’s phones at night, and how to address this issue with your child.
Why Should You Turn Off Phones at Night?
Blue Light from cell phones has been proven to interrupt sleep rhythms. It is best to avoid it before bed by finding ways to prevent use of the phone. Also, constant app notifications and alerts will keep your child engaged with their phone even after putting it down, so it’s crucial to prevent this. Phone usage stimulates your child’s brain when they should be winding down and getting ready for sleep. Learning how to turn off their phone overnight can help manage this. Staying up too late can impact their mental health, attention, and development, making it essential to know how to prevent your child being able to use their phone at night.
How to Turn Off Your child's iPhone at Night
If your child has an iPhone, here are the steps to turn off phone at night. These steps can apply to any device with an iOS (iPhone) operating system.
Located in the Screen Time settings, you can limit your child’s use of a phone at night by implementing Downtime settings.
Downtime can turn off the phone, leaving only the calling feature active, and can be protected by a passcode. Go to settings on your kid’s phone to start the process and tap Screen Time. Enter or create the Screen Time passcode to lock the settings so your kids can’t change it. Tap on Downtime and set the Start and End times. To turn off messaging and FaceTime during Downtime, go to Screen Time/Always Allowed/Allowed Apps and remove them. Enable Family Sharing in settings to manage your kid’s phone from your phone, allowing you to turn off phone remotely with ease.
How to Turn Off Your child's Android Phone at Night
If your child has an Android phone such as a Samsung or Google device, you can turn off their phone at night with these steps.
Google’s Family Link app can completely lock your child’s phone at night but requires that you download it on both your phone and your child’s.
Download the Family Link for parent’s app to the parent’s phone to begin the process.
Download the Family Link for Children app. Create a Family Manager account in the parent app. Set up your child’s profile and select Bedtime. To completely shut down their device anytime, go to their profile and select “lock,” allowing you to turn off their phone remotely whenever necessary.
How to Turn Off Your child's Android phone at Night with MMGuardian
For the less tech-savvy parent who wants to prevent their child using their phone at night, and also help protect their child from online predators and cyberbullying, an app like MMGuardian is the best way to go.
MMGuardian can completely lock your child’s phone at night or at other times of the day when you need your child to focus on other activities. It can also be used to lock their phone remotely whenever necessary.
Download the MMGuardian parent phone app to your phone, and the child phone app to your child’s phone.
Alternatively, get an MMGuardian Phone for your child. This is a customised Samsung smartphone with MMGuardian pre-installed.
Ways to Ensure That Your Child Gets a Good Night’s Sleep
Good, restful sleep will improve your teens’ mood, mental health, and ability to focus. Follow these recommendations to ensure your kids are set up for a restful and quality slumber.
Limit Screen Time
Use MMGuardian to lock your child’s phone an hour before bedtime. Most things your child uses their smartphone for are brain-stimulating. Cutting them off one to two hours before bedtime allows their brain to wind down without the constant stimulation of their phone.
Reduce Blue Light
Reduce blue light by using “night mode” after sunset. To limit this stimulating light, users should wear blue light-blocking glasses or enable “night mode” on their devices after the sun goes down.
Turn Off Notifications
Turn off notifications. The constant ping of notifications will divert your child’s attention and bring it back to their phone even after they have put it down. Put their phone on Do Not Disturb mode to stop all notifications, or use the ‘silent lock mode’ function available with MMGuardian.
Remove Phones From the Bedroom
Out of sight, out of mind. Keeping their phones out of their bedroom at night will give them the distance and space they need to avoid the temptation to check them.
Discuss Expectations
Talk about expectations: Most teens and preteens may resist any restrictions on their phones. Talk to your child about your expectations for their phone use and set clear expectations and consequences for misuse, including how you may lock their phone remotely if needed. Model good tech behavior: “Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t always work with teens. If you expect them to follow these recommended bedtime restrictions, you should do the same to set an example!
Conclusion
In conclusion, as with any structured routine for children, the earlier you start, the better. Put these rules in place from the first day you give your child a smartphone, and you may find they are more willing to comply. If you’re trying to implement these restrictions with an older teen, you will need to have more conversations about why you are changing their already established routine. Either way, setting clear boundaries for screen time and phone usage at any age is necessary for setting up a good night’s sleep.
We hope these tips on how and why to limit your child’s use of their phone at night are helpful. Remember, MMGuardian can help you manage screen time and protect your child from online predators and cyberbullies. Check out the app or the MMGuardian Phone today.
