MORE THAN THERAPYTHE RESOURCE LIBRARY

CORE RESOURCE

TEN04

Notice Your Digital Choices

Observe one digital habit and test a change that supports your priorities.

Open in library / add to packetSuggest a correction
Standard fillable PDF

Phones, games, and social spaces can offer connection, fun, learning, and stress. This page helps you notice one pattern without labeling you or deciding that all screen time is the same. Choose a change you actually want to test.

Observe one situation

Think about the last time you opened an app or game automatically. What was happening before? What did you hope to get: company, a break, information, distraction, or something else? How did you feel afterward?

Keep what helps and change one friction point

Choose one small experiment. Examples include silencing one notification during homework, charging the phone outside arm's reach during a chosen activity, or leaving a group that feels hurtful. Keep necessary access for safety and support.

Review rather than punish

Try the change once or twice. Notice whether it helped your chosen priority and what it cost. Adjust it with your clinician or trusted adult. A difficult experiment provides information; it is not proof that you lack self-control.

Reflection prompts

Use these questions in conversation, on paper, or in the downloaded PDF. You may adapt or skip a prompt.

  1. The digital situation I want to understand
  2. What I hoped for and what happened afterward
  3. One change I choose to test
  4. When I will check whether it helped
Facilitator notes and adaptation

Treat this as a collaborative habit experiment, not a diagnostic screen for addiction. Explore cyberbullying, surveillance, access needs, and online identity support. Avoid blanket device removal when it would isolate the teen.

Sources behind the concepts

These sources inform the concepts in this original resource. They do not validate or endorse this specific page.

Explore related topics