‘My teenager attacked me when i tried to take her phone’

Single mum and trainee nurse Lisa Mccall, 36, lives in Angus with son Aaron, 18, and daughter Leah, five. Her family was torn apart by her 16-year-old-daughter Chloe’s addiction to her smartphone. Lisa says: “I bought Chloe a Blackberry when she was 13 so she could keep in touch when she went out. At first, there weren’t any problems, but then her friends all got smartphones and she became fixated, constantly checking Facebook and Snapchat. She’d stay up all night chatting to friends and would be tired and bad-tempered the next day. Her school work suffered too, as she was exhausted and distracted. “I tried to reason with her and to ration when she could use it, but it would escalate into rows. One evening, when I asked her to give me the phone at 10.30pm so she could sleep, she screamed: ‘It’s mine, you’re not having it’ and kicked and slapped me. I was covered in bruises the next day and was absolutely horrified. “Our home turned into a battleground with me trying to find ways to limit her use. If I took her phone, she’d borrow one from a friend. And I lost count of the times she lashed out at me. “A month ago she chose to move out and now lives in a supported housing scheme. We get on better and she comes over for tea every week, but she’s still

always on her phone. Chloe’s addiction has changed her into a different person – it’s sad that technology

tore apart our family.”

❛our home turned into a battleground With Me finding Ways to limit her use❜