Teens have it rough these days – in the face of mounting pressure to succeed academically and socially, they have to fight off innumerable distractions. Many parents report feeling frustrated that their teens spend more time with Facebook, smart phones, and television than they do with loved ones or schoolwork. This feeling is mirrored in emerging research about Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), which suggests that technology can become a compulsion for some due to its mood-altering effects. This diagnosis remains controversial; some mental health researchers assert that IAD is a fad diagnosis that misrepresents simple time management difficulties.
Regardless of whether or not your teen is “addicted” to technology, it's important to determine whether your teen's gadget use is a problem. Answer these questions to figure out whether your teen's technology habits are negatively impacting his or her life:
- Does your teen spend excessive amounts of time “lost” in technology?
- Does s/he forget to eat, sleep, bathe, or care for other basic needs when engaged with
technology?
- Does s/he become angry, depressed, or withdrawn when technology is unavailable?
- Are his or her relationships suffering as a result of excessive technology use?
- Is your relationship with him or her tense because you fight about his or her technology
use?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, consider getting support for yourself or your teen. I hold a monthly Facebook Ate My Homework workshop for teens and offer individual and family therapy to teens and parents at the Living Arts Counseling Center in Oakland.
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