March 2021

The Digital Wellness Lab’s Dr. Michael Rich uses research to answer questions about the benefits and risks of youth turning to social media for mental health support.

In this digital age, many parents struggle with how to manage their child’s time online using social media, gaming or watching videos. In this episode, host Dr. Jennifer Arnold talks with special guest Dr. Michel Rich, Director of the Digital Wellness Lab and the Clinic for the Interactive Media and Internet Disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital. Together they offer practical advice and answers to common questions.

The “echo chamber” effect: Dr. Michael Rich of the Boston Children’s Hospital Digital Wellness Lab explains how social media platforms’ algorithms can lead to a “dark spiral” for teens.

It is indisputable that many of us spend much of our lives in front of our screens – especially our phones. Dr. Rich offers an updated paradigm for how we think about and address our digital lives.

Do you ever feel like you or your kids are spending way too much time on your phones? Have you ever caught yourself scrolling for hours on end? When so much of our lives center around our phones, it’s hard to know how much screen time is too much. For answers, Dr. Sanjay Gupta sits down with Dr. Michael Rich to talk about his unique approach to treating young patients with problematic media use.

Dr. Michael Rich discusses children’s and adolescents’ media use and the positive and negative implications for their health and development with Rasmus Lindhagen in this Sweden-based podcast. What are the negatives and positives when it comes to the use of screens and technology? How are children affected by it? What’s a better way of looking at it instead of “good or bad”? Can video games actually be helpful for certain skills? This and much more in this episode with Dr. Michael Rich.

The Digital Wellness Lab’s Dr. David Bickham is interviewed, highlighting the nuanced complexities of the benefits and risks of youth social media use.

The Digital Wellness Lab’s Dr. David Bickham explains the importance of positivity, autonomy, and authenticity for young people on social media.

Dr. Michael Rich sits down with ConnectSafely’s Larry Magid to discuss approaches to digital balance that deemphasize “screen time” in favor of other markers of digital wellness.

The Digital Wellness Lab’s guidance for parents on handling a child’s first cell phone is highlighted as a valuable resource.