Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study

Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study

Highlights

• More hours of screen time are associated with lower well-being in ages 2 to 17.

• High users show less curiosity, self-control, and emotional stability.

• Twice as many high (vs. low) users of screens had an anxiety or depression diagnosis.

• Non-users and low users did not differ in well-being.

• Associations with well-being were larger for adolescents than for children.

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Our letter to the APA

Jessica Henderson Daniel, PhD, ABPP President American Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 Dear Dr. Daniel, We are writing to the American Psychological Association (APA) to call attention to the unethical practice of psychologists using hidden manipulation techniques to hook children on social media and video […]

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The campaign to keep middle school students off their cellphones

The campaign to keep middle school students off their cellphones

..academic success can be hindered by these phones, particularly at this age when we know developmentally impulse control is a big issue. And frankly, they are so craving social acceptance that the pull for social media as well as the desire to be on video games is incredibly high at this age group, and the ability to resist that urge, frankly, can be incredibly hard for many of them. And, you know, the interesting thing is that there are kids who are able to resist. But when they see the other middle schoolers on their phones, it can be really then distracting for them. […]

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Your kid’s brain is being engineered to get him to stay on his phone

Your kid’s brain is being engineered to get him to stay on his phone

“Your kid is not weak-willed because he can’t get off his phone,” Brown says. “Your kid’s brain is being engineered to get him to stay on his phone.”

The headquarters of Boundless Mind looks as if it were created by a set designer to satisfy a cultural cliché. The tech startup is run out of a one-car garage a few blocks from California’s Venice Beach. On the morning I visited, in March, it was populated by a […]

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Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time

Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time

“..positive social stimuli will similarly result in a release of dopamine, reinforcing whatever behavior preceded it. Cognitive neuroscientists have shown that rewarding social stimuli—laughing faces, positive recognition by our peers, messages from loved ones—activate the same dopaminergic reward pathways. Smartphones have provided us with a virtually unlimited supply of social stimuli, both positive and negative. Every notification, whether it’s a text message, a “like” on Instagram, or a Facebook notification, has the potential to be a positive social stimulus and dopamine influx.”

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Smartphones: “psychological manipulation at right moment, is what makes it so powerful.”

Smartphones: "psychological manipulation at right moment, is what makes it so powerful."

…psychological manipulation at just the right moment, is what makes it so powerful.

These design techniques provide tech corporations a window into kids’ hearts and minds to measure their particular vulnerabilities, which can then be used to control their behavior as consumers. This isn’t some strange future… this is now. Facebook claimed the leaked report was misrepresented in the press. But when child advocates called on the social network to release it, the company refused to do so, preferring to keep the techniques it uses to influence kids shrouded in secrecy.

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It is Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media

Psychiatrists have already begun to recommend that students identified as suffering from anxiety or depression should be monitored for smartphone addiction.

Click here to view original source The Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
It is Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media
The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education

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