Managing Your Child's (Or Your Own) Screen Time

Written By Stacey B. Thacker, MA, LMFT

Many parents today are concerned about the amount of electronic games their kids play or time they spend on social media, and rightly so. The brain doesn’t differentiate between the activities of pornography, shopping, gambling, compulsive eating, excessive social media or video gaming. They all create dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter that our brains like! In excess however, we can become addicted to dopamine and increasingly need more of it. Parents are also concerned about the obesity rate of kids in our country (18%) and the projection that this is the first generation of kids with a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

Children need to be off the screens and up and moving. But, no need to go over board and throw out all the electronics!Here is a great article from the Mayo Clinic titled:

Unplug: 12 tips to manage kids' screen time to help you get started.

Stacey B. Thacker, MA, LMFT
Stacey B. Thacker, MA, LMFT #43024, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over two decades of experience specializing in grief, traumatic loss, food addiction, and PTSD. As a presenter, author, and cofounder of Roubicek and Thacker Counseling, she brings deep empathy and expertise to her work with individuals, families, and fellow therapists. Stacey is also the author of Supporting Others from Heartache to Hope and My Food Addiction Recovery Plan, and a longtime facilitator of healing workshops for helping professionals.
https://roubicekandthacker.com/stacey-thacker
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