SHARE:  
Join Our Email List
Beyond The Screen: What Every Parent Needs To Know 
In today’s digital world, nearly everything happens behind a screen, including our jobs, social interactions, news, and entertainment. However, this new digital life we’ve all become accustomed to may come at a price, especially for kids and teens. That’s why it’s important for parents to understand the risks that screen time poses to their children as they’re still developing, so they can make the best choices for their children’s safety and health. Plus, helping your children limit screen time now might just pay off later when they come home from college to visit. The Manely Firm's Atlanta Paralegal Ketevan Mamuliia shares of niece Maryam, "She loves to play games on her IPad but favors watching K-Pop music and TV shows." Ketevan continues to reflect, "Her parents limit the total amount of screen time she is allowed, but she is learning Korean in school so enjoying shows and music in Korean actually does help her with her studies." While there are definitely advantages to using technology, read below for more on ways to ensure it is a good experience for the kids in your life.
 


Humans spend time staring at screens now more than ever. Between our computers, televisions, and smartphones, many of us have more screen time in our days than non-screen time. As with any rapid change in society, the development has caused concern. Is all this screen time bad for us? The troubling truth is that experts don’t know for sure. There are no standardized screen time recommendations for adults, leaving each of us to determine what works best. This article from Time magazine explains what the current science says, what negative impacts too much screen time may have on our health, and how you can engage with your devices more healthily.




While the science is still out for adults, researchers are performing numerous studies on the effects of screen time on children. America’s teens are experiencing a mental health crisis, and many experts believe prolonged time spent on digital devices — and scrolling on social media sites in particular — may play a role. It can be challenging to keep up when it feels like researchers release a new study every week. The Manely Firm's Marietta Associate Attorney Daniele Johnson is a parent to three busy teenagers and offers her perspective on screen time. Daniele says, "All three of my teens have cell phones and the youngest has since fifth grade. Taking into consideration their maturity level and that they are generally "good kids", we have allowed them to be on social media and tiktok. They know that if they step out of line, they lose their right to privacy." Daniele continues, "I do occasionally take their phones and read EVERYTHING, including social media posts and text messages. Each time that happens, I am relieved to see that our trust in them is not misplaced and I feel good about what they are doing." Click above for more with this helpful article from NPR that breaks down what we know about teens, social media, and mental health. The current research suggests that social media for teens isn’t all bad, but parents should be aware of lurking dangers. 
 


If your older child is away at college, you may not have to worry too much about keeping them off of their devices. But, when they return home from college for the summer, suddenly the incessant sounds of TikTok, YouTube, and video games flood your home once more. And for some parents, this can be just too much to bear. In fact, studies show that when adult children revisit the nest, it majorly throws off their parent’s new equilibrium — and happiness. So, if your child is coming home this summer, here are a few tips to make the transition a bit easier for everyone involved. 
Cats Meet Dominoes


A domino setup wouldn’t stand a chance around most households with cats, but this remarkably docile bunch of felines manages to put on a show. Prepare to watch some of the most well-trained cats you’ve ever seen! This extensive domino setup entertains the cats and requires their involvement to complete its run. Can they keep it going and win a treat at the end? 
While too much screen time and oversharing on social media can be negative, communication is generally very important. Do you feel like communication with your partner has become more of a challenge or completely non-existent? If you have family law matters brewing, knowledge is power. Click below for a short video from The Manely Firm's Atlanta Founding Attorney Michael Manely on three key ways to prepare if you think a divorce may be in your future.
Want to check out more videos on family law and estate planning matters (divorce, custody, alimony, mediation, power of attorney, wills, etc.)? Search YouTube for The Manely Firm, P.C or click here to visit our channel: 




-Best Law Firm, The Manely Firm, P.C.

-Best Overall Leadership, The Manely Firm, P.C.

-Best Overall Attorney, David Purvis, The Manely Firm, P.C.

-Best Divorce Attorney, David Purvis, The Manely Firm, P.C.

-Best Family Law Attorney, Jess Lill, The Manely Firm, P.C.

-Best Real Estate/Estate Planning Attorney, William King, The Manely Firm, P.C.

-Best Place to Work, The Manely Firm, P.C.

https://savannahnow.gannettcontests.com/2023-Best-of-the-Coastal-Empire/gallery?group=454907

We have been proudly serving the families of Savannah for over 10 years and appreciate your vote!
Time to Celebrate!

We are proud to announce that The Manely Firm, P.C. has been voted Connect Savannah's

Best Law Firm,
Best Place to Work,
AND
Best Local Attorney, David Purvis.

The Savannah Team had a blast serving as Gold Sponsors at last Thursday's Connect Savannah's "Best of" Celebration!

Thank-you to everyone that voted for us, we couldn't be prouder and we appreciate your support!
Family Law Institute 2023

The Manely Firm is proud to serve as Five Star Sponsors for the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia's 39th Annual Family Law Institute.

The event will be held June 2-4 at the Omni Amelia Island Resort. 

This annual event serves as a great way for Georgia Family Law attorneys to earn CLE's while socializing and networking outside of the courtroom.

Social media can be great for sharing photos and keeping up with family and friends. It can take a negative turn when it becomes an outlet for venting about frustrations with your co-parent or custody schedule. Read below for more on how to enjoy your screen time without finding yourself held in contempt of your current agreement.






There should be no debate. While social media has some proven benefits, it also opens the door to many negative scenarios. One common pattern in social media that has a negative impact in family law occurs when co-parenting is involved. While social media allows parents to share their updates of time spent with their children or connect with family to show how quickly their children are growing up, we often see that it is also easy to over share the woes of co-parenting, and maybe even over share things the other parent would prefer to not be shared on the internet. For example, co-parenting is not always a walk in the park so emotions can be heightened. As a result, its too common that parents take to social media to share their woes about how some of the parenting time in an Order is an injustice or how the other parent is not contributing or following the rules or some parents even go to the extreme when they express their regret for having to parent with the other person. Another common trend that causes co-parenting conflict arises when one parent asks (or even merely expects) the other parent to not share certain things of their children on social media but the other parent still does.

While social media platforms allows each person to customize their privacy settings to limit who sees what, or can’t see certain things, it’s a fine line that often creates conflict in co-parenting relationship. Everyone should use with caution as while posts can be filtered and/or “deleted”, they are often easily shared to make their rounds or captured as screenshots even before the person who posted second guesses their decision to share. Some of the conflicts caused by social media while co-parenting can also have legal effects and lasting effects. One day your children may stumble across the negative comments you made. And as the saying goes, what you post can and will be used against you in a court of law.
basicImage