Luke’s parents gave him a cellphone last year for his 10th birthday. Since then, the amount of time he spends playing video games on and off his phone has increased.
Luke has gained weight and recently started refusing to play on his sports team after school, preferring to stay home and interact with peers online. His grades at school have also declined. Recently, Luke and his younger brother got into a physical fight after Luke’s brother “killed” his character in a first-person shooter game.
With summer break in full swing, parents like Luke’s are concerned about their children spending more and more time on their devices. They are worried about how this might affect their child’s health. They wonder when (and if) they should draw the line. They often ask us, as psychology researchers and clinicians, “Is my child addicted to screens?”
Addictions Are Not Limited to Drugs
Addiction is often characterized by a recurring desire to continue to take a substance despite harmful consequences.When someone is addicted, the source of their addiction becomes their priority. Other important life activities (for instance sleeping, eating, and bathing) are neglected. Interests such as playing soccer or spending time with family and friends fall by the wayside.
A Teenager Can Have an Addiction
Typically, behavioral addictions don’t apply to children under the age of 12 years. This is because the principle of addiction implies two important factors. First, the person has insight into the problematic nature of their use, requiring a sophisticated capacity for self-reflection. Second, the person must have the cognitive maturity and capacity to be expected to inhibit their behavioral responses.Stated differently, we would expect young children to have meltdowns in response to turning off a device and thus wouldn’t describe this as indicative of addiction.
Screen Addiction is Complex
According to the World Health Organization and many independent clinical scientists, human beings can be addicted to screens. “Gaming disorder” was introduced into the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, in 2018.The issue of being addicted to screens is complicated. First, the term “addiction” is loaded and is off-putting for some. There are also many sources of screens (smartphone, tablet, laptop, television), many types of media (social media, TV shows, games) and many ways to use them (active or passive, solitary or social).
Addiction is also an extreme form of dependence and the term should not be used lightly. A comprehensive understanding of an individual’s context, behaviors, and the consequences of their actions is needed.
Recommended Screen-Time Limits
The American Academy of Pediatrics and Canadian Paediatric Society have both published guidelines for promoting healthy screen use.What You Can Do as a Parent
The guidelines include helpful recommendations for parents:Integrate Screens Mindfully
We are fortunate to live in a time of such rapid technological innovation. These technologies open up tremendous opportunities for most (if not all) domains of life, including new and different opportunities for families to connect, engage, and bond.But we do need to be mindful of how we integrate these technologies into our lives and of the consequences they have on ourselves, our relationships, and our children.