I think my family is addicted to their smartphones. How should I address this problem?

Electronic devices are addictive and damaging to people when

• their use becomes a way of avoiding people;
• you hold them in one hand and drive with the other; 
• their use means that you are often inattentive to others;
• you reach for them reflexively a dozen or more times a day; 
• they are seen as an extension of your hand or public persona;
• you enjoy them more than the joy of knowing Christ and His people; 
• their use fills more time than your personal interaction with family and friends; 
• your seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness takes second place. 

How should you address it?

• Examine your heart and habits; repent where needed.
• Confer with your spouse and confess your faults. 
• Together, prepare a family plan with timed goals to reduce use.
• Include a media/phone fast, starting with mealtimes and Sabbaths.
• Call a family meeting, address the problem, and propose the plan; get feedback.
• Provide happy, wholesome activities to fill time previously spent with media.
• Be prepared for pushback; proceed with patient grace and firm persistence. 
• Set an example; authentic leadership is not just enforcing your authority. 

Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. . . . Fathers, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master (Ephesians 6:1, 4, The Message). 

— Elder Calvin Burrell

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