Helping our children stay mentally well in our increasingly tech-centric world
Dear Friend of the Lab,
The way in which we interact with our digital world is directly tied to our mental health. This is true for adults, and especially true for our youth.
For many kids, the always-on aspects of social media and 21st century communication tools have added to the usual stressors of adolescence. For others, the digital tools — video games, social media, video chat, texting — that provided an invaluable social lifeline during times of stress, isolation, and uncertainties of the last two years of the pandemic have become problematic, with some kids finding it hard to reconnect to the “real world” now that life is returning to the (new) normal.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a movement with particular importance this year given the present and growing crisis in youth mental health. In a recent presentation, the Digital Wellness Lab’s Dr. Keneisha Sinclair-McBride detailed how these years have been particularly hard on adolescents, who are already navigating a stressful period of life:
During 2020, the proportion of mental health–related emergency room visits among adolescents increased 31% compared with the prior year.
In early 2021, emergency room visits for suspected suicide attempts were up 51% for girls ages 12 to 17, compared with the same period in 2019.
Throughout the month, we’ll be sharing about fostering digital wellness as one way of addressing young people’s mental health. So, if you aren’t already, please follow us!
At the Digital Wellness Lab, we study the impact of digital media use on children — from birth to young adulthood — and provide research-based guidance for parents and caregivers to help them raise healthy, smart, and kind children in our increasingly digital age.
Research Corner
As reported by the Digital Wellness Lab’s Dr. David Bickham, current research estimates that approximately 5% of young people — or nearly 1.5 million adolescents — experience negative health and outcomes as a result of their struggles with digital technologies. Problematic interactive media use seems to peak around age 15-16 and is more prevalent for males. Poorer family relationships, low self-control, and higher levels of aggression are common among adolescents with media use issues, as well. Young people experiencing PIMU often have health comorbidities, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, and autism. (See Bickham, 2021)
Learn more about Problematic Interactive Media Use, mental health, and adolescents from some of our recent research on the topic on our site.
In this interview, Alyson Schafer & Michael Rich discuss parenting advice for a healthy digital upbringing and the resources available at the Digital Wellness Lab. They also discuss PIMU – “Problematic Interactive Media Usage” – and the underlying issues that correspond to its appearance in certain populations of children.
Social media, virtual learning, online gaming, and ubiquitous devices present new social challenges for kids. In this article on Education Week, experts, including the Lab’s Dr. Michael Rich, weigh in on what social-emotional skills kids need to flourish in an increasingly tech-centric world.
Learn about the impact of interactive media use on the mental health of young people in this Digital Wellness Lab webinar moderated by The Newton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC).
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All information included in this newsletter is for educational purposes only. For medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your health care provider.
As reported by the Digital Wellness Lab’s 
