Introducing Healthy Screen Time Habits

While it seems we all have a firm handle on how to use social media, we may not always have the healthiest understanding of why. It can be a great tool for travel inspiration and collecting quick tips from well-traveled and experienced individuals and families, but sometimes all that scrolling, sharing and liking can lead to a slippery slope of social media use. Your family may be well aware of the alternate reality between real life and sponsored influencer posts, but it’s easy to get caught up in the bad habits that tend to come along with it.

Yes, many influencers showcase incredible destinations we want to visit, tag restaurants we want to try, engage in exotic activities we didn’t even know about or show us the great new item we should pack in our carry-on — but there is a healthy balance to all that noise. Encourage your teens and tweens to follow more body- and self-positive influencers — if you can’t beat them, join them.

Aspiring yogis, follow Jessamyn Stanley for an inspiring Namaste lifestyle. Her posts and thoughtful captions bring followers through everything from her yoga practice, health, wellness, confidence, race and experiences while traveling.

After years of being bullied, unhealthy habits and unrealistic expectations, Emily Skye is now one to watch on the fitness scene. She celebrates her curves, muscular build and all-around realness with a mix of inspiring photos and raw honesty.

Encouraging self love and lessening the stigma on mental health discussions, Milly Smith posts fearless images and captions about motherhood, mental health, depression, self-acceptance, loving the skin you’re in and a slew of other topics typically taboo for social media.

Kelvin Davis and Troy Solomon hail from different backgrounds and experiences, but both support self-love, care and doing your best — no matter what that means to you. Both Davis and Solomon are living their best lives, sharing inspirational posts and encouraging others to do the same by caring less about what others think and more about what they think of themselves, their own self-worth and individual happiness.

Of course, another great way to introduce healthy habits to your social media users is to lead by example. For all the times you catch yourself far down a social media rabbit hole, think of better ways you could spend your time — especially on vacation.

Encourage the kids to read more, broaden their musical taste or even learn something new with a podcast — all of which you can do in a group setting, out loud in the car or by the pool.