Anxiety is running rampant among teenagers and children, and social media and technology take a lot of the blame. While teen anxiety medication is a helpful tool to combat the growing trend, parents must learn ways to parent in the digital age to help their children manage the technological environment.

Parenting in the digital age is about learning to manage devices and teach children coping strategies for an environment that seems to always change. Thankfully, parenting tips remain steady, and the techniques you use to help guide your children are the same as ever.

1. Focus on Quality Time

The most important thing you can do for your child is focus on quality time. Kids and teens can easily spend too much time on devices and engrossed in digital environments, which can be self-destructive. Tear your kids away from their devices to spend time with you.

You don’t even have to do anything out of the ordinary. You can just make a rule that family dinner is at the table without devices. Or spend an hour or more every night playing board games or talking face-to-face. Obviously, you can and should do special things with your kids, including going to sporting events or plays or taking them shopping or out to dinner. Life can’t only be about staying at home.

2. Teach Your Child Coping Mechanisms

Part of growing up is learning that the world is unpredictable and at times unfair, even cruel. Children seem to learn these things earlier and earlier thanks to 24/7 news cycles and poor parental controls on tech. To ensure your child is ready for the fast-paced modern world, you must teach them coping mechanisms.

All too often kids develop anxiety because of exposure to things they aren’t capable of handling. Adults or people who experience ADHD symptoms in women or anxiety can help younger generations by teaching them coping strategies they learned, like breathing exercises. Exercise can even be a good coping strategy.

3. Set Limits on Devices

The best thing you can do for your children is set limits for devices. While most schools encourage the use of laptops and tablets, you can manage how long your child uses these devices beyond the academic. Most children do not need to spend more than an hour on a device every day beyond schoolwork.

4. Be a Good Role Model

If you are going to crack down on the amount of time your children spend on devices, you have to also follow your rules. You can’t expect to have a happy household if you tell your kids they can only spend an hour on their devices but you spend the entire evening on your. Be a good role model.

5. Treat Media as Any Other Environment

You must treat media and tech as any other environment. You wouldn’t let your child roam the streets without supervision, so why would you let them use a computer or similar device without you present?

The digital age is full of new challenges, and it is causing an increase in anxiety in the youth. As a parent, you can look for the best anxiety med for teens, but you also must learn how to instruct and raise responsible kids. For help, talk to a local parenting expert.