🎯 What you will learn
- By the end of this lesson you'll know how screen time affects your sleep, mood and schoolwork.
- You'll understand why apps are designed to keep you on them for as long as possible.
- You'll recognise FOMO and the habit of comparing yourself with others on social media.
- You'll know practical tools for controlling your notifications and your screen time.
- You'll know when and where to ask for help.
Screens: neither good nor bad – it depends how we use them
Phones, tablets and computers help us learn, create, talk to our friends and have fun. The problem isn't the screen itself, but how long, when and how we use it.
Good questions to ask yourself:
- After using it, do I feel better or worse?
- Is it taking time away from sleep, exercise, schoolwork, family and friends?
- Did I choose to pick up my phone, or did I do it “on autopilot”?
Active and creative screen time (learning, making music, coding, video-calling your grandma) is different from passive screen time (endless scrolling).
Why is it so hard to put your phone down?
It isn't just you. Lots of apps are deliberately designed to keep you on them for as long as possible, because the longer you stay, the more adverts you see:
- Endless scrolling – there's no “bottom of the page” to remind you to stop.
- Autoplay – the next video starts on its own.
- Notifications – they pull you back into the app.
- Likes and “streaks” – they make you come back every day so you don't lose your streak.
- Unpredictable rewards – you never know when a “brilliant” video will come along, so you keep on looking.
Once you understand these tricks, it's easier to stay in control.
Sleep and screens
Sleep is when your brain sorts out your memories, learns and rests. Children and teenagers need plenty of sleep:
| Age | Recommended hours of sleep |
|---|---|
| 6–12 years | 9–12 hours |
| 13–18 years | 8–10 hours |
- Screens before bed keep your brain awake – because of the exciting content and because of the light.
- Switch off screens at least 1 hour before bed.
- Keep your phone out of your bedroom at night, or at least away from your bed. Use an alarm clock instead of your phone.
- Turn on “Do Not Disturb” / “Sleep” mode at night.
Notifications, FOMO and comparing yourself
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is the worry that you're missing something – a message in the group chat, a trend, your friends' plans. It makes you check your phone all the time.
Social media mostly shows other people's best moments: holidays, filtered photos, successes. Comparing your real life with other people's “highlights” can make you feel you're not good enough. Remember:
- Lots of photos are edited, filtered or made with AI.
- Nobody posts their bad days.
- The number of likes doesn't measure your worth.
How to take back control:
- Turn off notifications that don't come from real people (games, social media, offers).
- Mute big group chats and check them at set times.
- Unfollow accounts that make you feel bad, and follow ones that inspire you.
- Hide like counts if the platform lets you.
Healthy habits and a digital “detox”
- Screen-free zones: the dinner table, the bedroom, family time.
- The 20-20-20 rule for your eyes: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (about 6 metres) away for 20 seconds.
- Movement: at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day – sport, playing outside, walking.
- Good posture: don't always hold your phone down below your chin; lift it up to eye level.
- Use your phone's own tools: Screen Time (iPhone) or Digital Wellbeing (Android) to see how much time you spend and to set limits on apps.
- Switch your screen to black and white (greyscale) – it makes your phone less tempting.
- Try a mini detox: an afternoon without your phone at the weekend, or one “social-media-free day” a week. Notice how you feel.
When to ask for help
It's normal to feel sad, stressed or lonely sometimes. But do ask for help if:
- You can't stop using your phone even when you want to, and it's affecting your sleep, schoolwork or friendships.
- You often feel bad, anxious or worthless after using social media.
- Someone online is bullying, threatening or blackmailing you.
- You're having thoughts of hurting yourself.
Talk to a parent, a teacher, or the school psychologist or counsellor, your family doctor or another adult you trust. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
📖 A real-life story
Rina, 13, from Prizren, watched TikTok every night until after midnight. In the mornings she was tired, her marks at school went down and she often felt bad when she saw influencers' “perfect” photos. She thought she wasn't as pretty or as interesting as them.
After talking to the school psychologist, Rina set herself a few rules: her phone charges in the kitchen at night, she turned off TikTok notifications and she set a 45-minute limit in Digital Wellbeing. She unfollowed some accounts and started following drawing pages, which she really enjoyed. Three weeks later she was sleeping better, had more energy at volleyball training and said: “I didn't realise how much it was wearing me out.”
✅ Do / Don't
✅ Do this
- Switch off screens at least 1 hour before bed.
- Keep your phone out of your bedroom at night.
- Turn off notifications that don't come from real people.
- Use Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing to set limits.
- Take breaks and follow the 20-20-20 rule for your eyes.
- Get moving for at least 60 minutes a day.
- Follow accounts that inspire you and teach you something.
- Talk to an adult when you're feeling low.
❌ Don't do this
- Don't use your phone in bed until late at night.
- Don't measure your worth in likes and followers.
- Don't compare your life with other people's edited photos.
- Don't keep your phone on the table during family meals.
- Don't let autoplay decide how you spend your time.
- Don't ignore signs of tiredness, stress or sadness.
- Don't think you have to sort everything out on your own.
👨👩👧 For parents and teachers
Children learn more from what they see us do than from what we tell them. The example you set with your own phone really matters.
- Draw up a family screen agreement together: times, screen-free places (the dinner table, bedrooms) and clear consequences.
- For young children, choose good-quality content and watch it together; avoid using screens as the only way to calm them down.
- Use Google Family Link or Apple Screen Time to set time limits – explained openly, not hidden.
- Set up a charging spot for all the family's phones outside the bedrooms – parents' phones included.
- Look out for changes: poor sleep, irritability when the phone is taken away, withdrawing from friends, falling marks at school. Talk calmly, and if needed, ask the school psychologist or your family doctor for help.
- Teachers can run “screen-free challenges” in class and talk openly about comparison on social media.
🧠 Mini-quiz
Answer 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson is marked as completed in your passport.