A Guide for Parents

Help, is my child more “phone” than smart?

The smartphone as a “friend”—many children and teens are downright addicted.(Bild: Seventyfour - stock.adobe.com)

During the summer break, many parents shared their observations with the “Krone”—whether at restaurants, on the beach, or at outdoor pools: Instead of making the most of their free time, kids are glued to their smartphones for hours on end, like zombies. Trying to get them to put them down can trigger minor—and major—crises. More and more parents are asking themselves: “Is my child actually more ‘phone’ than smart?” In our comprehensive guide series, we show you the right way to handle this and, with the help of experts, reveal what moms and dads can do. 

“The first thing our kids looked for at our vacation home in Croatia was the router,” says Ruth H. from Waidhofen an der Ybbs. “I hardly dared to tell them there wasn’t one. But I had no other choice. The oldest had already started crying,” says the hairdresser. Her sons are nine and 14 years old—nothing works without a cell phone anymore.

This isn’t as noticeable in everyday life as it is on vacation. That’s because the kids are almost impossible to persuade to do activities together. “It was handy on the drive here, though. Of course, it was quiet in the car. But now it’s just annoying,” says Ruth H. She had actually imagined their first family vacation after the pandemic would be different.