Let’s start doing
things differently
Got a minute?
Or 30? The video is my presentation to SoCal’s Kaiser Permanente Annual Pediatric Symposium in 2024.
The data speaks for itself
Here are the facts- by 2012 the majority of Americans had a smartphone and most teens began using social media daily. As you know, use of these devices has only become more ubiquitous since then. What you may not know is that depression, ER visits for self-harm, and suicides for teens and young adults have skyrocketed in tandem with the increased use. Specifically, completed suicides for 10-14 years old girls quadrupled between 2011 and 2019. There is no other explanation for this change.
As a therapist working with teenagers and young adults for over a decade, there's one problem my clients share regardless of what brought them to therapy — they are struggling to manage their relationships with their devices.
And this constant connectivity often interferes with their ability to focus and with their ability to maintain healthy relationships. My clients are smart, successful and insightful; they know that their device use is taking up more time than they’d like. They are aware that their use of social media makes them more anxious, envious and depressed, and yet they, like most (ALL) of us, struggle to do things differently.
My hope is that we create new norms together. Since 2023, I’ve been hosting workshops for parents, families, doctors and therapists. In 2024 I joined MAMA (Mother’s Against Media Addiction) and launched a local chapter in the Conejo Valley. Want to join us in our efforts? We’d love to have you. Want a parent-ed workshop for you and your friends? Reach out! This is a big complicated issue that will take all of our heads working together.
My parenting philosophy focuses on these three things:
Go slow when introducing technology to kids
Delay
Insist on boundaries. Get devices out of all bedrooms (including yours!) overnight and check in often
Teach
You, mom or dad, need device-free moments, starting with 30 minutes a day.
Model
If you haven’t read this…get started now
Jonathan Haidt’s recent publication of The Anxious Generation is a must read. He has also made all of his data available to anyone at www.theanxiousgeneration.com. We have what is called a ‘collective action’ problem. Meaning, we need to act together to make change. We are making waves in the Conejo Valley, signing WaitUntil8th pledges and committing to no phones overnight in bedrooms. Sign up for the newsletter to join us and find out more!
