Youth media use has become near-ubiquitous. How do you know if behaviors around technology use have become problematic or classifies as an addiction? In this #AskTheExperts webinar, a panel of child and adolescent psychiatrists, researchers and a parent with her own lived experience discussed current knowledge of digital addictions, including definitions, prevalence, and related disorders, and provided tips for assessing children’s media use, prevention and intervention for digital addictions, and developing healthy family media habits.
[00:00] Introduction
Kris Perry, MSW, Executive Director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, kicks off the panel by welcoming the moderator, Marc Potenza, MD, PhD, MD, Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry, Child Study and Neuroscience at the Yale University School of Medicine.
[03:03] Elaine Uskoski
Elaine Uskoski, parent coach, speaker, author of Seeing Through the Cracks and Cyber Sober, and Canada Clinical Partnership Specialist for Intenta Clinical Training for Gaming Disorders, tells a personal story about discovering her son’s gaming addiction and supporting him through his recovery. She provides tangible tips for preventing screen addiction, including setting limits, and emphasizes how important it is for parents and caregivers to be emotionally available. She concludes by offering warning signs parents can look for if they’re worried their kid’s behavior may be problematic.
[19:45] Naomi Fineberg, MBBS, MA, MRCPsych
Naomi Fineberg, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Hertfordshire and
Consultant Psychiatrist at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, defines problematic internet use and shares common symptoms to look out for. She stresses the need for more research to understand the clinical boundaries of these disorders, support clinicians, and standardize diagnosis. Next, she shares her work on the Boosting Social Adaptation and Mental Health in a Rapidly Digitalizing, Post-Pandemic Europe (BOOTSTRAP) project, which seeks to understand who is most at risk (and why) and to discover harm-prevention strategies.
[36:35] Jason Nagata, MD, MSc
Jason Nagata, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, summarizes findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a large longitudinal study of brain development and child health in the US. Dr. Nagata shares findings concerning gender differences in problematic use, its relation to mental health effects over time, and parental media use behaviors. At the end of his presentation, he offers practical tips for adolescents and parents to sustain healthy media habits like implementing screen-free times, role modeling healthy screen behavior, and creating a family media use plan.
[45:47] Clifford Sussman, MD
Clifford Sussman, MD, Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist; Internet and Gaming Addiction Specialist, presents constructive interventions and treatments for youth struggling with problematic usage. Based on his clinical experience, he recommends youth seek balance between high dopamine activities (like video gaming) and low dopamine activities (like playing an instrument). He also suggests parents and caregivers find a balance between setting limits on screen time and teaching their children to self-regulate and manage their digital use. Dr. Sussman discusses some treatment approaches, but concludes by emphasizing that no treatment is one-size-fits all and any treatment will depend on what works best for that child and family.
[01:01:19] Discussion and Q&A
Moderated by Dr. Potenza, the panel comes back together to answer audience submitted questions. The panelists discuss when and how to find professional help, family media use plans, what parents can do for younger children, and how the science of digital addictions translates to practice. In the final minutes of the webinar, the experts emphasize the importance of healthy non-judgemental communication for preventing and supporting youth with problematic internet use.
