The Faces of Childhood Digital Addiction

“The Faces of Childhood Digital Addiction” moves past the grim statistics of screen use to recognize what it is doing to our usually playful children. I wrote about the importance of child play in my Light Lessons blog.

But today our children are not playful – you can clearly see their digital addiction in their faces. Childhood is faced with the daily saturation of texting, scrolling, gaming and tapping into a new app.

It is not a pretty picture.

Today’s Addicted Child

Matthew

9 year old, Matthew, got to play on his iPad while his mom and dad watched the Super Bowl. He was out of their hair, quiet, and happy, so why not? Well, Matthew binged – and when it was time to shut it down, he refused – – revved up, irritable and downright nasty! That night he could not sleep, and the next two days were a miserable nightmare with him. (AttitudeMag.com Nov 2021)

Taylor & Jackson

5 year-old Taylor and her brother, Jackson, are desperate to play on their devices. When Mom says, No, they bawl and throw a fit. They sneak their iPads, hiding under blankets, lost in their digital screens. (abcnews.go.com – Kids obsessed with electronic devices, May 2017)

Addiction & Meltdown

A 60 Minutes program on “Addiction Disorder Affecting Toddlers”, filmed our little ones being entertained and placated by DDs. Then they filmed the monumental meltdowns in the children when the DDs are taken away: incessant howling, “I want my iPad!”, bawling, kicking, screaming to get…”my Minecraft back!”

The filming also included young adults and teens, one of whom admitted,

“At one point in my life I handed my future and my free will – I handed myself – over to a machine and let it dictate what I did. I was addicted to gaming, browsing, porn… yeah I was addicted to the computer.” (60 Minutes Jan 2020)

Digital Monitor – Digital Babysitter = Addiction

Families have been under extraordinary stress during the Covid lockdowns. Everyone has experienced more time on Digital Devices. Mom, Dad, or both must work from home on computers. Kids have been on computer Zoom classes for schooling… and as a means to keep up with their friends.

Parents feel the need for peace and quiet. They tell themselves, I need a break… what’s a few hours going to do?

Thus, when their children are using the DD, the parents have perfect peace… until… it’s time to get off the DD: then your children turn into hysterical, obsessed aliens.

I saw this happen to one of our grandchildren after a long jet flight. Mom and Dad had a most pleasant flight, while their little boy played on the DD for hours, non-stop.

The plane landed but our beautiful grandson would not shut down the DD… bawling, screeching at the top of his lungs, hitting and kicking. He was still at it when we greeted them at the arrivals gate. It was one of the most horrible emotional transformations I have ever witnessed.

This is far too high a price to pay for a Digital Device Babysitter.

Profound Challenges of Childhood Digital Device Addiction

Digital Device Addiction – is one of the major medical, societal, and family challenges of our time. Our children’s faces, bodies and behavior reflect this when they are full of the wretched emotions of Digital Device Addiction: irrational anger, demanding fear, and confusing emptiness (looking apathetic and hopeless).

Unwittingly, our children have effectively turned off the Logical, Thinking part of their brains (Pre-Frontal Cortex). The Digital Devices (DD) ensure that they live in their Emotional Brain (Limbic System). Even if there are no hysterics, they are making bad decisions, procrastinating, and unable to stick to any task. They are facing serious learning problems and slog through their days with a noticeable lack of concentration, motivation and confidence.

Families feel trapped. 77% of parents and teens have argued about smartphone usage (CNN, 2019). Haplessly, younger and younger children use more and more digital devices, and the trust between parent-and-child is waning or has disappeared completely.

The DD, at first, seemed necessary for you to stay in touch with each other.

But instead, your child is more distant than ever.

How did your healthy, happy child turn into an alien-being in your own home?