New Orleans (WGNO) – For lots of parents, the struggle is real! We’re talking about the ongoing battle to get your kids off of electronics. It’s especially important when they have homework to do.

There are ways to create a positive atmosphere for your kids and a less stressful one for yourself.

To alleviate stress, experts say it’s important to set firm rules. Schedule exactly when your child will be allowed to play and when they should be studying.

“First of all you need to have some boundaries where screen time is concerned, specifically for teenagers because they do it so much,” says West Jefferson High School Principal Vanessa Brown-Lewis.

R. K. Smith Middle School Principal Harold Blood agrees, adding that it’s important to map things out and “provide a calendar for the time, saying ‘this is allocated for academics, for schoolwork, and this is allocated for playtime.'”

Parents should be on the lookout at home too: knowing their kids’ usernames and passwords for all online accounts and monitoring what they are doing on their phones and computers.

Parents should also plan on more screen time for themselves during the school year, as going online is often the best way to keep track of what’s happening at school.

“Every single school in Jefferson Parish has their own website. Go to the website, we put everything up there,” says Vanessa Brown-Lewis.

“Monitor the parent portal. Just the mere act of your child knowing that you are checking can sometimes do wonders,” points out Marrero Middle School Principal Christina Conforto.

Remember that technology also teaches, and sometimes your child will be on a screen, taking care of school business.