Welcome to the fourth and final episode of our series on parenting teenagers. This time, Christy Herselman flies solo while Dr Claudia Gray is away—and she is tackling the topic every parent of a teen is wrestling with: screens.

With school holidays in full swing, Christy knows firsthand how tricky it can be to maintain healthy screen boundaries when downtime increases. She breaks down why the time our teenagers spend on screens matters—not just because of opportunity cost, but because every minute online is shaping their values, their self-esteem, their attention spans, and even their brains at a neurological level.

She unpacks the difference between good screen time and bad screen time, explaining why sitting together as a family watching sport is not the same as hours of short-form video on TikTok or Instagram Reels. She also introduces the concept of a digital footprint and challenges parents to consider not just what their teens are consuming, but what they are producing—what comments, images, and content are they putting out into the world?

Christy shares five practical tips for parents: make the device as safe as possible, stay present in your child's digital world, set clear boundaries around time, place, content, and behaviour, have ongoing conversations about everything from pornography to critical thinking, and above all, fight for connection. She reminds us that teenagers who fare best online are those who have deep, healthy, face-to-face connections offline.

And perhaps the hardest tip of all: lead by example. Our children are watching how we use our own screens.

If you are a parent of a teenager and feel like you are losing the battle against screens, this episode will give you the tools and encouragement to stay in the fight.

Dr Claudia Gray:

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/dr_claudia_gray/

Dr Claudia Gray’s Real Parenting and Paediatrics, Quivertree Publications 2025

https://www.takealot.com/dr-gray-s-real-parenting-paediatrics/PLID98849917

Christy Herselman:

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thechatdurban/

Books:

https://thechat.co.za/product-category/books/