In just over a decade, smartphones have become an essential part of our lives, especially for adolescents. According to the Pew Research Center, while 77 percent of American adults have a smartphone, that number soars to 95 percent among teens.

Oddly, though, a device that is universally thought to better connect people may be having the opposite effect, at least among teenagers. Several recent surveys (taken before the pandemic) seem to show that since 2012 loneliness, depression, and incidents of self-harm increased sharply among adolescents in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

The research is finding a marked correlation between the rise of smartphone use and loneliness, a recognized predictor of depression and mental health issues.

It’s back-to-school time, and this year our kids are facing more than the usual first-day jitters. Last year they mostly had to learn at home, seeing friends only over Zoom or FaceTime. Now, the new school year is likely bringing new anxieties:

• They’re wondering whether they’ve fallen behind academically, in their favorite sport, or both.
• They’ve been worried about whether they or their parents will get COVID-19.
• The mask-up-in-school guidance has been confusing, to say the least.
• And they may be secretly afraid that they won’t know how to get along in person with their friends anymore.

Give them structure

Don’t assume that because things are getting back to normal that your kids will easily fall back into their old pre-pandemic lives without your guidance.

One way to help your child adjust to the new school year is by offering the comfort of family meals on a regular schedule. Use this time to talk together, to encourage them to share their concerns, and find solutions.

Our Family Table Time kits are an excellent resource that can help. For example, this month’s topics include organizational skills, back to school, fears and anxiety, and bullies and violence.

Sign up now to receive your first kit an

More than 93,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We at Informed Families hear it so often: “I never suspected my child was abusing drugs.”

All kids lie, according to Victoria Talwar, Ph.C., associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at McGill University in Montreal.

Just as for adults, it’s important that children exercise regularly. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children and adolescents ages six and older get at least an hour a day (total) of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity. They should also participate in such bone-strengthening activities as jumping rope or running at least three days a week.

One of the topics from this month’s Family Table Time is “Sun and Heat Safety.” That’s because it’s vital to know how to protect your children during the hottest days of summer.

Like it or not, it’s in a teenager’s nature to be impulsive.

“Parents beware—Omegle might just as well be called “Pedophiles R Us,” warned one reviewer on Commonsensemedia.org. “I found out by chance that my (just) 14-year-old daughter has been using this site. Her conversations involve guys asking her for sex and to meet her in hotels for sex.”

When you’re running late for school and work, and your little one doesn’t feel the urgency, what do you do?