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Talking with teens and families about digital media use
Author(s) -
Rocha Sarah
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the brown university child and adolescent behavior letter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7575
pISSN - 1058-1073
DOI - 10.1002/cbl.30361
Subject(s) - pace , social media , digital media , normative , psychology , mental health , anxiety , the internet , internet privacy , psychiatry , computer science , political science , world wide web , geodesy , law , geography
Use of digital media such as cell phones, tablets, video games, television, and associated social media seems nearly ubiquitous among adults and youth. A recent Pew Survey indicated that 95% of teens have access to a smartphone, and 45% say they are on the internet nearly constantly. The rise in use of digital media is correlated with evidence of increasing rates of adolescent depression, anxiety, and suicide, and mental health clinicians report use of digital media is a frequent source of family conflict. Hence, parents may seek advice from mental health and other professionals regarding their teen's media use, and there is some evidence that parental involvement may mitigate some of the risks associated with media use. Clinicians face challenges assessing family digital media use and providing evidence‐based recommendations for many reasons, including lack of training, the rapid pace of change of technology, lack of knowledge about normative versus abnormal usage, and lack of evidence base regarding evaluation and management of problematic media use. This article aims to provide a framework and a review of expert‐derived guidelines for talking with families about digital media use.