You tell your child to stop scrolling. But can you follow your own rules at home?

When Sujatha Ravi Iyer, mother of two daughters (now 12 and 18), moved from Chennai to Mumbai eight years ago, social media seemed like a bridge into a new world. “I felt pressure from other parents in colonies and society groups. People thought South Indians were too traditional and didn’t want to be active on social media. That’s when I started using Instagram to fit in,” says the 43-year-old former banker who works from home with an online travel company.

She recalls how her own Instagram use began to rub off on her children. “I saw how mindless scrolling became a reflex reaction for me. When my elder daughter was in Class 10, we told her to leave Instagram so she could focus on studies. But I realised if she had to quit, then I couldn’t stay on it either. So, I deleted Instagram. For about three years, while she prepared for engineering entrance exams, I stayed off social media,” she says.