New Jersey Family and Addiction Institute
My WordPress Blog
As a child and young adult I always loved summer. It was a time of sun, fun, no school, and little responsibility. The temperature has been rising and the days are getting longer in New Jersey. Summer is officially just around the corner. Recently I have been speaking a lot with parents and professionals about […]
As a child and young adult I always loved summer. It was a time of sun, fun, no school, and little responsibility. The temperature has been rising and the days are getting longer in New Jersey. Summer is officially just around the corner.
Recently I have been speaking a lot with parents and professionals about issues our youth and young adults face. For the past year I have researched and written a lot on screen time. As we transition into summer I think it’s a good time for us to look at screen time again.
The WHO is a multinational organization. The WHO gathers doctors and policy experts from around the world. These doctors and policy experts share information on issues and then come up with solutions.
In the past year I realized that the WHO was starting to look at screen time. Initially I was shocked. Warning bells and lights started going off in my mind. The WHO, the organization which has tackled serious diseases such as polio and HIV, is now looking at screen time. Clearly doctors around the world are seriously concerned about the effect of screen time on our youth.
The WHO recently issued guidelines about safe amounts of screen time based on age. The screen time referenced in these guidelines is passive screen time. This is time where a child watches a non-educational show (think YouTube and shows that have no purpose). The WHO guidelines are provided below:
When I read these recommendations I had several thoughts.
After I finished my frantic call with my brother I looked at actual screen time rates among our youth. Below are recent statistics:
After reading this research I went for a long walk to think. During my walk I had several thoughts and emotions.
Research and my experience has shown me that screen time can be an issue. One important factor to keep in mind is that not all screen time is created equally. Many schools are moving towards being digitally integrated. It is not uncommon for students to have school-issued laptops and tablets now.
I am not anti technology. I myself spend several hours per day in front a screen researching and writing. My concern is children who spend hours per day. One of the most common statements I hear from parents is that their kids spend their entire weekends in front of their screens.
With the dismissal of school kids are going to have way less supervision than normal. With few external sources telling them to “get off their phones/laptop/tv/video games” kids are going to be in front of screens at much higher rates. I could easily see a scenario where kids spend Monday-Sunday in front of screens.
Summer should not be a season marked by a lack of supervision. I understand that with parents pulled in so many directions today it can be difficult to monitor their kids. While this isn’t easy it is very important to remain aware of what kids are doing. Children should not sleep in a room with screens. This includes phones, tablets, laptops, and televisions. Households should also have rules about what conditions must be met for screen time. These can include exercise, reading a book, doing chores, etc. I also recommend reading the other articles here on social media and video games. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions, comments, or concerns that you have. We are here to help.
References:
https://www.parent24.com/Teen_13-18/Development/what-is-an-appropriate-screen-time-limit-for-teens-we-could-be-back-to-square-one-20181108
https://slate.com/technology/2019/04/screen-time-world-health-organization-limits.html
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-06-summer-vacation-screen.html
https://qz.com/1367506/pew-research-teens-worried-they-spend-too-much-time-on-phones/
This is probably a post I should have written a month ago. However it came to me this morning while I was on my morning walk around Madison. Summer has arrived for our college students. Unless they are attending summer sessions, they are most likely home. A common questions I get from parents is “Should […]
This is probably a post I should have written a month ago. However it came to me this morning while I was on my morning walk around Madison. Summer has arrived for our college students. Unless they are attending summer sessions, they are most likely home.
A common questions I get from parents is “Should I let my college-aged student drink in my home when they are home from school?” Logically they think “I know they are drinking at school anyway.” This is a great question and I am always happy to provide some thoughts. I also cover two other topics I think are worth covering with your child college student.
I remember when I was dropped off by my parents at college. While my mother cried my father took me to the side and told me two things.
As the youngest of four boys I was my mother’s baby. I made sure to call her a couple of times per week. This made her happy. This was a good directive from my father. After all, mothers worry.
His second point, that I was now an adult, was a little off. Technically based on age I was. But going to college was like having the training wheels taken off. At best I would say I was a quasi adult; part adult part child. I certainly had much more responsibility and a greater degree of freedom, but I was still immature and prone to poor decisions. By the time I finished college I was more of an adult than when I went to college.
Set up time with your child where you can sit down and discuss your expectations. I would caution against ambushing your child or having the conversation at 7 a.m. on your way out the door to work. Set up time in advance. Topics to cover:
As a member of Al-Anon I spend a lot of time with mothers who are excited about their children coming home from school. By the time June rolls around though they tell me they can’t wait to have the peace of their household back when their children return to school. Reintegrating in one household can be a little rough. On the one hand your child is always your child. On the other your child has partially become an adult. Realize that there may be some rocky moments. Have patience. Remember though that your house is your house. Do not condone illegal or dangerous behavior. Feel free to reach out to us here at NJFAI if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
I have been seeing a lot of pieces in the news recently about how youth today are really anxious. This corresponds with what we at NJFAI have been seeing in our clients. However these news segments got me thinking, “Are our youth really more anxious or is this the media causing a hysteria?” I decided […]
I have been seeing a lot of pieces in the news recently about how youth today are really anxious. This corresponds with what we at NJFAI have been seeing in our clients. However these news segments got me thinking, “Are our youth really more anxious or is this the media causing a hysteria?” I decided to turn to the research and find out the truth.
The Pew Research Center recently conducted a poll among youth. The focus of the poll is on issues youth identify as being the most common among their friends. Researchers found that 70% of youth report anxiety and depression as a major problem.
Between 2009 and 2017 depression rates among teens increased by 60%.
In 2017 13% of Americans between the ages of 12 and 25 experienced a major depressive episode.
A 2017 survey of college students found that 40% of students struggle to function due to depression. 60% feel overwhelming anxiety. At NJFAI we work with a lot of college students. While these statistics may seem shocking I am confident they are accurate.
Another study found that up to 20% of college students are so stressed they contemplate suicide.
The short answer to this question is yes. In the United States we have kept data for decades on depression and anxiety rates among youth. Currently these levels are the highest we have ever seen.
To put it simply our youth and young adults are experiencing serious mental health issues. Additionally they are not receiving the help they need. This is why suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death among teens and young adults.
Generally I speak from a therapist and researcher perspective. However I want to just speak plainly about the depression and anxiety we are seeing in our youth. They live in a world of hyperactivity and virtual connectivity.
In an age of mass connection our youth have never been as bad at connecting with others. Most of their relationships lack depth and meaning. It is pretty common for one of my clients to report struggling with loneliness despite the fact that they have over 500 “friends” on Facebook.
What I see is a whole generation of youth walking around feeling bad about themselves. Furthermore this is compounded by the fact that they compare themselves to others they see online. So what we have is youth compare what they feel internally to what others project externally. Our youth usually end up losing that comparison and end up feeling even worse about themselves.
As a therapist I think that most youth and young adults should go to therapy. The dramatic rises in depression and anxiety are really concerning to me. If you have concerns about a loved one please contact a mental health professional. Suicide is far too common. I also recommend reading the other articles on this site about our youth population. Finally please do not rely on your child’s social media presence as an indication that your child is doing well. Check in with your children on how they are actually doing. We are here to help and please feel free to contact us.
Sources:
http://time.com/5190291/anxiety-depression-college-university-students/
This article originally appeared on Mycentraljersey.com I’ve been working as a drug and alcohol counselor for 15 years. Over that period of time, I’ve added other titles: social worker, university professor, special state officer, Army medical officer, board member, policy advisor and professional speaker. But my direct work in the field of drug and […]
This article originally appeared on Mycentraljersey.com
I’ve been working as a drug and alcohol counselor for 15 years. Over that period of time, I’ve added other titles: social worker, university professor, special state officer, Army medical officer, board member, policy advisor and professional speaker.
But my direct work in the field of drug and alcohol treatment remains as the foundation for all the things I do. Since 2010, there has been a huge surge in both overdose deaths and media attention. While I’m saddened about the former, I’m encouraged that news organizations are covering stories about addiction and recovery on a seemingly daily basis.
The opioid overdose epidemic is awful. But alcohol abuse and dependence remains a huge societal problem, as does the misuse of prescription drugs such as Adderall, Xanax and Valium.
I receive a few dozen calls, emails, and texts each month from friends or family members. Typically they are asking for advice on how to handle someone that is using alcohol or drugs. If you are worried about a friend or family member, here are a number of tasks that you can do in order to address the problem:
A few times a month, people write me and tell me that they would like to be more involved. For those of you that want to do more macro level work, here are a few tips:
Sources:
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/life/wellness/2017/01/02/healthwise-what-you-can-do-fight-alcoholism-drug-addiction/95998216/
