Your digital hygiene guide to curb screen addiction in kids

It's important for parents of school-going kids to set boundaries when it comes to tech usage. Here's an expert guide that shows you how

Screen addiction, like substance addiction, is known to create a spike in dopamine levels. More the screen time, greater the risk of a child getting hooked to a digital device.

Dr Pramit Rastogi. Published 16 Oct 2024.

Screen addiction among young kids is becoming a pressing issue. In the US, a growing number of schools are restricting, if not completely banning, the use of mobile phones. This article takes a close look at what causes screen addiction among kids and how parents of school-going kids can do their bit to stop the habit from getting out of control. First, let me start with an example:?

‘Rya was an enthusiastic student who enjoyed completing his homework promptly. But lately his grades have started slipping. Time and effort invested in his studies are now being spent on digital devices. There is decreased interest in attending school, disinterest in playing outdoors, and on his days off, he spends most of his time playing video games, sometimes well into the night. As a result, he struggles to wake up on time for school, leading to fatigue and irritability during the day. He becomes defensive and agitated when confronted about his screen time. Communication breakdowns have led to increased tension in the household, with Rya feeling misunderstood and his parents frustrated.’?

Understanding addiction and reward pathways

Addictive substances trigger an outsized response in the brain. Drugs of abuse—such as opioids, cocaine, or nicotine—cause dopamine to flood the reward pathway, multiple times more than a natural reward (exercise, reading, chocolates). The brain remembers this surge and associates it with the addictive substance and establishes a reward pathway, creating a vicious cycle, and encouraging the user to consume the substance repeatedly.

Screen addictions have the same mechanism as substances, creating a similar spike in dopamine. With a chronic increase in screen usage, the brain’s circuits adapt and become less sensitive to dopamine. Consequently,? what you see is an increased need to consume more to experience the same pleasure.?

A common misconception is that addiction is a choice or moral problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. After a certain point, addiction becomes a biological problem with implications on physical and emotional wellbeing. There is an explicit need for parents to intervene, to model the right behaviors and teach their children screen management as a life skill.??

The difficulty with setting boundaries

Parents of young kids often struggle in setting boundaries. This is rooted in multiple factors including the time taken to monitor usage, conflicts at home with the child, or social norms where other children have access to devices. Parents often feel they lack the skills and expertise to monitor usage with boundaries often being circumvented.?

In other cases, there is a lack of consensus between parents (if both are available) on how to monitor usage with the stricter parent becoming the “villain” of the story. In social media, or school parent WhatsApp groups, students whose parents speak up often experience the backlash from their peers in school.?

How to set strict boundaries for healthy screen time

• While there may be inherent difficulties in setting boundaries, here are some steps you can take to implement them effectively:?
• Maintaining hygiene: Ensure that all devices in your house are identified and password protected. Oftentimes, older devices are often found to be used by younger children. Parental controls need to be turned “ON” for younger kids. While this may seem challenging with children who have a phone, it is not impossible to ask your child to share their phone passwords. Note: this is not an infringement of privacy, it is for their safety and wellbeing. Encouraging the use of desktops versus laptops, and watching content on TV as opposed to personal devices create automatic barriers in consuming harmful content.??
• Establishing balance: While your child may be using a screen, it is important to check if other aspects of their life like playing sports, their friendships, academics, health, sleep, appetite and self esteem are unaffected.?
• Setting reasonable limits: Avoid total denial of digital access; instead, reinforce positive behaviors with rewards. Implement consequences for disregarding agreed-upon boundaries, such as reducing screen time for breaking rules.??
• Leading by example: Children look up to their parents to model their behavior. What you do as a parent is more important than what you say. Modeling healthy digital habits, sharing your own struggles and management techniques with digital technology appropriately could allow your child to speak up about their difficulties and follow your example.?
• Staying the path: Expect initial resistance. Your child may throw more tantrums or beg for screen time more intensely at first, before the behavior eventually decreases. This is referred to as an “extinction burst” in response to the reinforcement (unlimited screen time) being withheld. It is important to reward well in the beginning for compliance.?
• Seeking professional help: Like in the case of Rya, if you find an alarming decline in your child’s grades, persistent school refusal or charged conflicts in parent-child relationships while setting boundaries, it would be wise to seek professional help.

A digital hygiene guide for parents of toddlers to teens

?If you have a kid aged 0- 6 years:

• Set minimal screen time.?
• There should be absolutely no access to handheld devices without parental engagement. This includes giving your child a phone during social engagements or at a restaurant.?
• Speak and be curious with your child about the content they are watching. This helps with cognitive development.?

If you have a kid between 6 - 12 years:?

• Build rules and regulations around screen time.?
• Keep a close watch on what content they are watching, searching and listening to.?
• Make sure they cannot download apps without your supervision.?
• Bark and Qustodio are helpful tools for monitoring.

For children between 13- 18 years:?

• Invite the older adolescent to share their screen time data.?
• Discuss how screen time impacts your productivity.?
• Encourage them to keep their room door ajar as much as possible but don’t enter the room too frequently.?

Screen addiction is a real problem exacerbated by the pandemic affecting adults and children alike. Parents need to stay alert, active and engaged in their child’s screen consumption patterns. Exploring digital platforms and having an informed view of your child’s world can give you better language to talk to them about your apprehensions. Setting boundaries may seem difficult in the short term but over the long term will pay huge dividends.?

Dr. Pramit Rastogi is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the medical director at STEPS Center for Mental Health in Gurugram.

Link to original article https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/wellness/screen-addiction-in-kids-smart-phone-use-digital-hygiene-guide-11729062091463.html

About Dr. Pramit Rastogi

Dr Rastogi is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist, Parenting Coach and Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr Rastogi has studied, worked and taught at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, USA and at Georgetown University, USA.

About STEPS

STEPS Center for Mental Health is a child and adolescent mental health clinic providing psychiatric care and therapy interventions to support children, teenagers and families struggling with a range of concerns including attention difficulties, anxiety, mood concerns, trauma, learning difficulties and dealing with grief and loss.

Contact us

Phone : + 91 96672 22154

Email : [email protected]

Website : www.scfmh.com

Office : 4112, Ashok Marg DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon Haryana, India, 122002