For many families, summer is a time for ice cream cones, water parks and vacations, but when Heather Creekmore tried to get her son enthused about a family trip, all he wanted to do was play on his iPad.

“Once my kids have gotten on the screen,” said Creekmore, who writes a blog, “they beg and scream and fuss if they can’t get on the next day.”

Screen addiction in kids is a growing concern for many parents. Where TV was once the major preoccupation of children cooped up indoors, there are far more screens vying for their time now, and experts say it’s taking a toll on their abilities to interact socially.

The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that children are spending an average of seven hours a day staring at the screens of TVs, computers and other electronic devices. That’s often only a fraction of their parents’ screen time, which is a big part of the problem, says Dr. Susan Fletcher, a psychologist in Plano, Texas.

“What I’m seeing is parents are contributing to it,” she said. “Parents shouldn’t have to justify why they are on their screens. Showing their ability to be responsible is so much more effective.”

Fletcher acknowledges that off-hours screen time is just part of the job for many parents, but she recommends that they establish strict device-free times as a start — and adhere to those rules themselves.

Creekmore has had difficulty with this particularly because she must use a device to post on her blog.

“I’m not addicted to my screen, but I’m not the best role model,” she said. “I do like to distinguish and tell them I’m working when I’m with it. But I don’t think they can see that distinction.”

Often the easy solution to occupying children when doing that work is to toss a screen at them, too. That can aggravate kids’ perception of acceptable screen time.

“It’s a mixed message for kids,” Fletcher said. “Parents are doing what works, and kids aren’t learning interactive skills.”

Studies have linked prolonged hours with electronic devices to social problems and effects on general mental and physical health.

Fletcher suggests being deliberate about children’s expectations. Encouraging social interaction should be key, she said.

“It’s about what our families did before screens,” she said. “You set expectations, teach them how to be a part of a conversation, and set expectations that we are going to interact with each other.”

So the next time the kids are fighting in the back seat or making a scene in public, don’t be so quick to subdue them with “Minecraft” or another episode of “My Little Pony.” Fletcher says you may regret it down the road.

“Parents need to recognize that if it’s a way to keep kids quiet or they do it themselves, it sets the values for the family,” she said. “Be deliberate about wanting your kids to be well-rounded with social interaction and screen time.

“It’s not going to happen on its own.”

Facebook addiction. Constant texting. Sneaking Candy Crush. Oversharing. No, it’s not your kids — it’s YOU. When it comes to managing your kids’ screen time, there’s no shortage of ideas for setting limits. But what about your needs? Recent studies (and digital detox stories) on parents’ screen habits point to device-distracted moms and dads as a growing problem for kids. It’s enough to make you want to maybe-just-maybe turn off your phone and shut down your devices. But how to actually do that? These tips can help.

1. Keep a running list of “Things to google later.” There’s a scene in the Ben Stiller movie “While We’re Young” where the childless hipsters decide against googling a word in favor of just not knowing. In fact, staying in the conversation and not checking your phone for an answer or information can lead to even more conversation. Decide what’s critical to know immediately (allergic reactions, for example) and what’s just good to know (where Legos were invented). Tell your kids to keep you accountable.

2. Tame your device. If you can’t turn it off completely, just keep it quiet. In the iPhone’s Settings section, you can turn off notifications, enable Do Not Disturb, and silence alerts in Sounds. In Phone Settings, you can set up automatic text replies. If you only need to be on alert for an email from the boss, in iOS you can create a VIP setting that notifies you of important emails. Android apps such as My VIP Calls only let through calls from specific people (such as your kid’s teacher, who may call when you’re in a meeting).

3. That goes for vibrate mode too. That feeling you get when you think you felt your phone vibrate? And you pick it up and there’s no message but you decide to check Facebook since you’re already looking at your phone? It’s called “phantom vibration mode,” and one theory is it afflicts people who rely on their phones to regulate their emotional states.

4. Get yourself some parental controls. If you google “smartphone addiction,” you’ll find lots of apps designed to monitor adults’ phone use. Consider Moment Family, Breakfree, and DinnerTime Plus, which let you designate screen-free times for your whole family.

5. Practice mindfulness. “Mindful parenting” is the latest buzz term, but why stop there? Studies show that smartphones and devices distract us even when we’re not using them. That’s a problem that calls for some serious soul-searching. To calm that “always-on” feeling, consider a meditation app such as Headspace, which applies Zen principles to daily life.

–Common Sense Media