1/28/2020 A Penny In The Parking Lot 1 Digitally Distracted Kids: Reconnecting Them With The Real World And One Another Joe Wegmann, PD, LCSW Joe@ThePharmaTherapist.com 504.587.9798 www.pharmatherapist.com Are you receiving our free monthly e- newsletter? 2 For This Session… How modern-day machines and “screens” of all types are causing many of our children’s problems Real-life stories and experiences as a private practice therapist regarding the effects of way too much technology Tips and strategies to help pull children and ourselves away from the screens and closer to each other 3 1
1/28/2020 Are We Losing Control? Or Is Control Already Lost? 4 A Digital “Disconnect” It’s a lot easier to write something than to say it face-to-face, isn’t it? The average age of first smartphone issuance is 10.3 years old, although every parent agrees that this is way too young The average kid spends 9 hours per day using screen media; the average parent spends 4 minutes per WEEK in meaningful conversation with their kids Screens are linked to an uptick in mental health disorders – anxiety, depression, eating disorders and unfortunately suicide Smartphones open up kids to a world of anxiety, self-doubt, insecurity, and constant comparison to their peers This is why so many kids are suffering from mental, emotional, social, and communication issues Isn’t school safety, gun violence, academic pressures and acceptance by others enough? Young people today by-in-large are educated more poorly, and the screens they’re immersed in and through which they learn encourage sensationalism – not independent thought This limits their experiences with the real world 5 Technology And The Brain 6 2
1/28/2020 Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder A new and developing “strain” of ADHD “AADD” describes how excessive screen time is rewiring kids’ brains – particularly older children – to display inattentiveness, lack of focus, disorganization Potentially thousands of teens are being misdiagnosed with ADHD – a disorder which they don’t have – and are being fed powerful stimulants to treat it Studies: UCLA; Stanford; Harvard Medical These newly rewired brains are literally growing new branches to meet the demands of cyberspace – with its tweets, texts, posts and “likes,” leaving no room for Mrs. Smith’s classroom lectures The more kids adjust to “bites” tweets and the like, the less patient they become with more complex and meaningful information 7 But The Pendulum Has Swung Kaylie can’t seem to get herself out of bed for school each morning in spite of an alarm that sounds like a police siren. Her mother is at her wit’s end. Kaylie just can’t seem to pull herself away from an endless and mindless smartphone group chat session that occurs nightly. As she finally awakens, she is greeted by the chatter posted by the “early birds” that she’s already missed – at 6:30am. So of course, she’s got to catch up as her mother hurries her into to the car to prevent her from being late for school. During the short drive to school, her thumbs are moving furiously and she is completely oblivious to the environment and her mom. As she exits the car, her head is down fixated on her phone – no thank you or goodbye to mom. Her mom becomes terrified as she walks across the street totally oblivious to oncoming traffic to enter the school building. She is almost struck by an oncoming car. Kaylie’s mother describes her as anxious, jumpy and easily becomes irritable and frustrated. 8 The Pendulum Referrals to my practice for students misdiagnosed with ADHD are still prevalent, but during the last couple of years, Anxiety Disorders have emerged I now receive more inquiries and referrals for middle school children and high schoolers for anxiety spectrum issues than ever before Kaylie unfortunately is a portrayal of many of today’s kids and because this is so new to parents, they struggle with strategies to handle this behavior – believing it is just a sign of the times Ramifications: Poor face-to-face communication; inability to converse with others; difficulty interviewing for a job; little or not eye contact; poor coping skills; meltdowns Why? The brain has weeded out the neural pathways necessary to competent personal, social and occupational functioning 9 3
1/28/2020 Cyberspace: A Full-Time Job Computers: The three most popular computer activities are social networking sites, any type of computer game, and YouTube 62 percent of kids assert that they lie to their parents about what they view on the web 75 percent of 7 th -12 th graders have created a profile on a social media site Video Games 50 percent of kids have a video game system in their bedroom 25 percent of 8-10 year-olds play violent video games Music Devices 8-10 year-olds spend an hour per day listening to music 15-18 year-olds spend three hours per day listening to music Bottom line per Common Sense Media: The average teenager spends 63 hours per week immersed in some form of electronic media Virtual reality has become so prevalent it is leading to deaths and injuries, and need I mention walking into the middle of traffic, huddling on street corners, texting while driving, the ubiquitous selfies and ignoring others because of headphones and ear buds 10 Gaming Alex was a 16 year-old high school junior. The young man’s video game playing had become so out of control when he was in middle school and his first two years of high school, he began refusing to go. Any time his parents attempted to take away “Grand Theft Auto V,” he would go berserk. He punched holes in his bedroom walls and became verbally and physically violent. His parents became afraid of him and called the police on several occasions. At the time I met with his parents, Alex had become so agoraphobic, he hadn’t been out of the house in months. Everything around him was crumbling – school of course, but also health, family and social life. Alex had gained a considerable amount of weight and had become depressed, which contributed to his anxiety and school avoidance. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to help the boy because his parents were unable to get him to my office. 11 Gaming Many chronic “gamers” I’ve counseled discover an all new virtual world where they can be more outgoing – slay a dragon, complete missions, lead armies to victory and be leaders of a specific game Shy kids miraculously become unreserved; timid kids can become aggressive Playing creates an enormous sense of accomplishment – fueled by series upon series of dopamine “hits” coming at lightning speed – although there is nothing real about the game Star Trek Fleet Command The DSM-5 describes internet gaming disorder as a condition for additional study. 12 4
1/28/2020 Parental Disconnect How could a parent allow their child to play video games 12 hours per day? Many parents are all but completely oblivious to the amount of time their children spend gaming and fall prey to convoluted thinking Gamer kids don’t crave staying home and take up gaming to simply pass the time because of boredom – it’s the other way around – being home with free time didn’t lead to Alex’s video game addiction – his video game addiction led him to be home all the time and to disconnect from the outside world 13 Parental Disconnect When parents contact me for help with their video game-dependent children, I remind them that I have NO magical powers or fairy dust to sprinkle on them Most parents are terrified of what the child may do if the game is removed from the child’s environment Reactions to removing the game can resemble the behavior of a drug addict in need of a “fix” – property destruction, cursing, punching holes in bedroom walls, threatening behavior, and suicide Some of these kids are often otherwise described as calm, friendly and respectful 14 Gaming Final Points This is a multi-billion industry that is absolutely not going away and make no mistake about it, many adults are just as hooked So, if you’re a parent of a child (or working with parents of a child) who is spending way too much time playing these games, and you’re afraid that unplugging will make matters worse, you should take the risk Tantrums don’t last forever 15 5
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