Dr Kirstin Barchia

Dr Kirstin Barchia I help parents of teens to have calm families. https://www.kirstinbarchia.com.au

19/11/2025

Getting teens, or any of us, to change their screen use is tough. And the conversations you have with your teen now are important for now and their future. Because no matter how good your rules and monitoring are now one day your teen will be old enough (or smart enough to get around restrictions)
To help you out I’ve bundled my teens and screens and connected conversations courses and they’re on sale until tomorrow night (Thursday AEDT)
See the comments or link in bio for the link

The Christmas holidays are almost here.Presents to buy, meals to plan, family to see.Then almost time to Ahhh....relax.O...
19/11/2025

The Christmas holidays are almost here.

Presents to buy, meals to plan, family to see.

Then almost time to Ahhh....relax.

Or peek over your shoulder every five minutes to make sure they have’t snuck their device again?

Here to help you engage your teen in the real world this Christmas break.

My Teens and Screens course bundled with Calm Connected Conversations is 50% if before tomorrow night. Click here www.kirstinbarchia.com.au/teen-screen-time

Here’s what others have said about the bundle...

“The day I purchased the program we were having SUCH a tough and hard time. We pulled the phone away cold turkey and did all the things that only made it worse! I listened to your video training in the car and learnt how to approach the next chat we had. It worked well and we agreed on a plan. A few days later it is proving challenging for him to stick to it but at least I can speak without getting my head ripped off. Your video was EXCELLENT, I really loved it. I’m not easily won over by presentations but yours was so good.”

“I regularly seek out info on how to deal with my teen. None of it has ever worked for us. I am time poor and never seem to have the time to find what I need. Kirstin’s video was such a breath of fresh air for me. I felt confident after watching it and hopeful to reconnect with my son who is angry and screen dependent. Connection with my teen is the most important thing I can give him in this ever changing and challenging world. Kirstin’s advice is helping me change and learn to negotiate with my son. He’s a tough nut to crack but the approach was so successful for him. He felt empowered and I felt relieved. Kirstin’s voice is easy to listen to, like a supportive friend talking you through. The video is practical, can be applied straight away and the cost is very reasonable.”

You can access my Teens and Screens and Connected Conversations bundle now for more than 50% off until this Thursday 20th November at midnight (AEDT). Comment screens and see link in biok

Remember the movie Castaway?The plot opens with Tom Hanks next to his wife looking at their Blackberry devices trying to...
18/11/2025

Remember the movie Castaway?

The plot opens with Tom Hanks next to his wife looking at their Blackberry devices trying to organise when they will be able to spend time together.

At the time, we all thought that was extreme.

But oh how that movie predicted reality.

Smart phones, ipads, laptops, wifi, working from home...

Have impacted the way we connect within our families.

We look at our teens scrolling, gaming, laptops slamming shut when we walk in the room...

But we are also looking at screens.

We check emails.

Read texts.

Respond to whatsapp group messages organising sports.

We are using devices more too.

Screen use is a common cause of disconnection and conflict in households with teens.

Your connnection with your teen is important.

You also deserve to have the calm connected household you want...even in the teen years.

To help you I have something special that can help you and your family.

This week I have bundled and discounted my Teens and Screens and Calm Connected Conversations courses for you. Click here now to buy www.kirstinbarchia.com.au/teen-screen-time

18/11/2025

Here’s how.

First you need to work on your own device use to learn the skills they need and how to teach them because you can’t teach what you haven’t learned…(hmmm I wonder…Where’s your phone while you sleep?😉)

Second you need a way to teach them that doesn’t end in eye rolls and arguments…we do this with coaching conversations not lectures.

Third, encourage them to set and agree to reasonable self imposed limits.

Finally, if your kid can’t set their own limits yet then set the limit for them and go back to step one.

Yes, limit setting is important, but only in a bigger process.

And guess what?

They start to put their devices out of the rooms and go to sleep on time on their own.

Because they don’t want a bad, sad, addicted to tech life.

Limit setting is one piece of your protecting kids from devices ruining their lives pie, but it’s not the whole pie.

Limit setting doesn’t automatically create a responsible online teen nor does it mean your limit setting now will lead to your teen being able to turn off their device and go to sleep as when they are 22.

Limit setting isn’t your answer to having a teen who gets off their device and goes to bed on time. So you can wave goodbye to the guilt it once filled you with.

Learning how to teach them to change their own behaviour is how parents can really help their teens with the online world they live in. Want to learn more comment screens.

13/11/2025

Real life is better. But many teens find screens easier. Want to learn how to get your teen off their screen and finding other ways to reset and connect? Comment teens and screens.

Teen moodiness and difficulties sleeping can be helped with sunshine on waking rather than scrolling. But they learn fro...
13/11/2025

Teen moodiness and difficulties sleeping can be helped with sunshine on waking rather than scrolling. But they learn from us.
What did you look at first this morning? The sunshine or the scroll?

12/11/2025

Want help to change your teen’s device use? Comment teens and screens.

When it comes to teens and screens limit setting is part of the answer but not the whole answer and without the other pa...
12/11/2025

When it comes to teens and screens limit setting is part of the answer but not the whole answer and without the other parts limit setting can cause more problems than it solves.
This week only my teens and screens and connected conversations courses are bundled and discounted by more than 50%. Click here for more info https://www.kirstinbarchia.com.au/teen-screen-time

10/11/2025

You’ve tried the screen time rules.

But they sneak it anyway.

Flicking the laptop screen back to homework when you walk in the door.

Hiding in the bedroom or behind the couch on their phone.

Tonight, you’re exhausted.

You just want them off their devices.

And I can help.

Here’s the secret to getting your teen off their device without yelling, monitoring, or arguments...

The big reveal.

What you have been looking for.

Making the rules, setting the boundaries, turning off the wifi and becoming a tech monitoring warlord...

Isn’t going to get them to be safe online or make good decisions about technology.

And that’s ultimately what you want.

You want your kid to be safe online.

You want your kid to make good decisions about technology.

Because whether we like it or not, the internet, phones, laptops, social media and gaming are a part of the world we live in.

Banning it and taking it away at home doesn’t teach our kids how to interact with the internet well.

I get it.

You think you need strict boundaries because the threat of addiction is real.

But what you really need is for your teen to make good decisions when they are online because you can’t monitor them all the time for the rest of their lives.

Tech control will never protect your kids online.

What works is coaching them.

When you coach your teen about technology, they will learn, reflect and make good decisions about social media, sleep, and gaming.

The best bit about coaching your kids?

The connection you create with them and the peace of mind every time you see them in their room on a device.

Because you know they’re making the right decision.

If you’ve been turning off the wifi and it’s still not controlling your teen tech usage, it’s time to try a new approach.

Coach your kids to make good decisions about technology and watch them get off their devices on their own.

Don’t know how and want help? Comment screens.

06/11/2025

Your limit setting is part of your approach to protecting teens from addiction and sleep problems, but it’s only part of the puzzle for how to get them to cope with a world with iphones, ipads, laptops, snaps, scrolls, Instas and gaming.

Limit setting isn’t going to get your teen to hand over their device and go to bed on time without complaining.

Limit setting isn’t going to help them navigate their emotions when social media takes them on the popularity roller coaster.

Limit setting isn’t going to help your teen’s anger, frustration and yelling when they lose the game they’re playing online.

It doesn’t work that way.

And for a lot of families, limit setting leads to arguments and “f bombs” rather than compliance and maturity.

Because parent imposed limit setting without effective teaching and learning about devices does not give your teen the skills they need to navigate device use healthily.

It’s not just about setting limits and taking devices.

It’s about teaching our teens how to use these devices responsibly.

It’s about using teaching methods that work with teens to help them to change their behaviours themselves (hint, lectures and fact sheets are not the answer either).

It’s about knowing how to talk to teens in a way that helps them really reflect on their own behaviours and make good decisions…even when you’re not watching.

Comment like and follow to learn more.

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Avalon, NSW
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