How to Limit Facebook Usage for Teens

While Facebook can be used safely for teens, an unhealthy obsession with every post and notification could be disrupting your teen's life. A 2009 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that teens spend an average of 1 hour 29 minutes on the computer each day, 22 minutes of which is dedicated to social networking like Facebook. Of course, only 16 of those minutes are used for homework. When your teen is spending too much time on Facebook and neglecting schoolwork or actual social obligations, it might be time to limit her usage.

Instructions

    • 1

      Move your teen's computer to a more visible and high-traffic area of your home, suggests Wednesday Martin, Ph.D., in an article for "Psychology Today." Putting a computer in your teen's room means she has 24/7 access to her favorite social networking site, which can disrupt her sleep and derail her schoolwork. When the computer is in the living room, you can more closely monitor her online habits and remind her when she's spending too much time on Facebook.

    • 2

      Check your teen's phone and remove the Facebook app, if she has it. While it might seem convenient, having the app means your teen gets notifications delivered straight to her phone, which she'll naturally check again and again, even when away from the computer. Insist that if she does use Facebook, it's on the computer only. That way, you can better control how she accesses Facebook away from the home.

    • 3

      Treat Facebook access as a privilege in your home. Facebook can be used in a safe and healthy way, so utilize your teen's desire to use the site by only allowing it at after her homework and chores are finished. Not only does this limit her time on the site, but teaches her that you are the one in charge of what happens on the computer in your home.

    • 4

      Install software or web browser extensions that give her a set amount of time on Facebook each day. Extensions like LeechBlock for Firefox and StayFocusd for Chrome allow you to set a specific time limit on certain websites. Once the time limit is up, the website is inaccessible for a prescribed amount of time. It's a good solution for a teen you can't monitor all the time or a teen who has a private computer.

    • 5

      Model good behavior and limit your own Facebook usage. If you're constantly checking in on your phone and computer, your teen learns to put a high value on social networking. Instead, turn off the computer and place a larger emphasis on real social activities and spending time as a family if you want your teen to do the same.

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