Letter: Keep teens busy and away from screens
(Martha Irvine | Associated Press file photo) A boy plays "Fortnite" in the early morning hours in the basement of his Chicago home Oct. 6, 2018.
Teen suicide was very rare in my father’s time. Back then, everybody in a family who was able-bodied had to work just to survive. Suicide was almost unheard of, as was the word “bipolar.”
Rather than merely sitting your kid down to have a talk about what may be bothering them, how about trying these proven remedies for bored and /or troubled children? Try giving your kids tasks and duties to perform on a regular basis. Today, kids spend too much time on computers and watching TV, giving them too much time dwelling and comparing themselves to others.
Limit them to no more than two hours a day maximum. That means a total of TV and/or computer use. If kept busy enough, most of our kids’ problems would melt away.
Remember the old adage that we learned as kids, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”
Ron Overman, West Valley City
Submit a letter to the editor
sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.
Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.
You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.