Your digital hygiene guide to curbing screen addiction in children

Screen addiction among young children is becoming an urgent problem. In the US, a growing number of schools are restricting, if not outright banning, the use of cell phones. This article takes a closer look at what causes screen addiction among children and how parents of school-aged children can do their part to prevent the habit from spiraling out of control. First, let me start with an example:

“Rya was an enthusiastic student who liked to complete his homework quickly. But lately his grades have started to drop. The time and effort put into his studies are now being invested in digital devices. There is a reduced interest to attend school, disinterested in playing outdoors, and on his days off, spends most of his time playing video games, sometimes late into the night.As a result, he struggles to wake up on time for school, causing fatigue and irritability during the day Becomes defensive and agitated when confronted about his screen time Interruptions in communication have caused increased tension a home, with Rya being misunderstood and her parents frustrated.

Understanding addiction and reward pathways

Addictive substances trigger an exaggerated response in the brain. Drugs of abuse, such as opioids, cocaine, or nicotine, cause dopamine to flood the reward pathway, many times more than a natural reward (exercise, reading, chocolate). The brain remembers this high 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 dopamine surge. With chronically increased screen use, brain 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 a moral problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. After a certain point, addiction becomes a biological problem with implications for physical and emotional well-being. There is an explicit need for parents to step in, model appropriate behaviors and teach their children screen management as a life skill.

The difficulty in setting limits

Parents of young children often struggle with setting boundaries. This is rooted in multiple factors, such as the time needed to monitor use, conflicts at home with the child, or social norms where other children have access to the devices. Parents often feel they lack the skills and experience to monitor usage with limits often being exceeded.

In other cases, there is a lack of consensus between the parents (if both are available) on how to control use with the stricter parent becoming the “dolan” of the story. On social media or school parent WhatsApp groups, students whose parents talk about them often experience the reaction of their peers at school.

How to set strict limits for healthy screen time

While there can be inherent difficulties in setting boundaries, here are some steps you can take to implement them effectively:

1. Maintenance of hygiene: Make sure all devices in your home are identified and password protected. Younger children often use older devices. Parental controls must be enabled for younger children. Although this may seem difficult for children who have a phone, it is not impossible to ask your child to share their phone passwords. Note: This is not a breach of privacy, it is for your safety and well-being. Encouraging the use of desktop computers rather than laptops and watching content on television rather than personal devices create automatic barriers to consuming harmful content.
2. Equilibrium establishment: Although your child may be using a screen, it’s important to check that other aspects of their life, such as sports, friendships, academics, health, sleep, hunger and self-esteem, are not being seen. affected
3. Setting reasonable limits: Avoid total denial of digital access; instead, reinforce positive behaviors with rewards. Implement consequences for not following agreed upon limits, such as reducing screen time for breaking the rules.
4. Leading by example: Children look 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 coping techniques with digital technology appropriately could allow your child to talk about their struggles and follow your example.
5. Stay the course: Expect initial resistance. Your child may throw more tantrums or ask for more screen time at first, before the behavior eventually subsides. This is called an “extinction burst” in response to reinforcement (unlimited screen time) that was withheld. It is important to reward well in the beginning for compliance.
6. Looking for professional help: As in Rya’s case, if you experience an alarming decline in your child’s grades, persistent school refusal, or heightened parent-child relationship conflict while setting boundaries, it would be wise to seek professional help.

A digital hygiene guide for parents of toddlers to teenagers

If you have a child aged 0 to 6:

1. Set a minimum screen time.
2. There should be absolutely no access to handheld devices without parental involvement. This includes giving your child a phone during social interactions or at a restaurant.
3. Talk to and be curious about the content your child is watching. This helps cognitive development.

If you have a child between 6 and 12 years old:

1. Create rules and regulations around screen time.
2. Keep a close eye on the content they see, search and listen to.
3. Make sure they can’t download apps without your supervision.
4. Bark and Qustodio are useful tools for tracking.

For children between 13 and 18 years old:

1. Invite the older teen to share their screen time data.
2. Talk about how face time affects your productivity.
3. Encourage them to keep their room door open as much as possible, but don’t come into the room too often.

Screen addiction is a real problem exacerbated by the pandemic that affects both adults and children. Parents need to stay alert, active and engaged with their children’s screen consumption patterns. Exploring digital platforms and having an informed view of your child’s world can give you a better language to talk about your apprehensions. Setting boundaries may seem difficult in the short term, but in the long run it will pay off big.

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