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At this point, discussing the relationship kids and teens have with screens feels passé. You may have mentally muted those notifications—and experts get it. But they say it’s important for parents to continue to tune into the crisis and their kids’ behavior around screens.
“While we’ve yet to fully realize the downstream effects of this new digitized dynamic, the available data overwhelmingly points to a corrosive effect on our children’s mental health and well-being,” says Kellyn Smythe, MS, an admissions director for Pacific Quest, a residential treatment facility helping adolescents recover from social media and screen addiction.
The average teen spends nearly five hours per day on social media, according to a 2023 Gallup Poll.1 And a study from the same year suggests that habitually checking social media in early adolescence could change the brain’s sensitivity to rewards and punishments. Of course, younger kids are also using screens. A 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center found the majority of parents say their kids ages 5 to 7 and ages 2 to 4 use smartphones.
But recent research shows that screen addiction may be more important to pay attention to than screen time itself. A big reason is those who feel addicted to their devices are more at risk for mental health issues.
Smythe has been at the forefront of this crisis. He and mental health providers discuss the signs of screen addiction and withdrawal, plus how to help your kid or teen foster a healthier relationship with their devices.
What Is Screen Addiction?
“Simply put, if your child, with any regularity, chooses screen time over in-person experiences—and seemingly can’t prevent themselves from doing so—it’s fair to deem them ‘screen-addicted,” Smythe says.
Screens include smartphones, tablets, computers, and TVs. Addiction can happen because of the stimulation people get from using tech. Data shows social media, for example, triggers surges in dopamine, a neurotransmitter known as the “feel good” chemical connected to our reward-seeking behaviors.
“Individuals afflicted with screen addiction continue to gradually immerse themselves in screen time to a point where it exceeds their ability to control it,” explains Matt Glowiak, PhD, LCPC, CAADC, chief addiction specialist with Recovered.org, an organization that provides resources for mental health and addiction treatment. “They spend more time on the screen than intended or desired, even to the detriment of everything else in their lives. When not on the screen, their thoughts and emotions are nearly absent in the real-life setting while obsessing about their next use.”
It can be harder for kids and teens to pump the brakes than adults.
“While many adults might eventually recognize problematic use but struggle to stop, with children and adolescents, considering their developmental level, problematic use is oftentimes out of their awareness,” explains Dr. Glowiak. “It becomes the ‘new norm.'”
Simply put, if your child, with any regularity, chooses screen time over in-person experiences—and seemingly can’t prevent themselves from doing so—it’s fair to deem them ‘screen-addicted.’
— Kellyn Smythe, MS
Signs Your Kid May Have Screen Addiction
When parents understand the signs of screen addiction, they can intervene. When it comes to teens, Smythe encourages parents to look out for ones who:
- Habitually avoid in-person experiences, like hangouts with friends, sports, and family events, in favor of screen time
- Show irritability or have outbursts around screen time boundaries
- Attempt to or use screens as an emotional regulation tool (“For example, a teen might feel the need to engage with a digital device when attending a common social experience, such as going out to dinner with the family,” he says.)
- Miss school
- Exhibit signs of anxiety or depression
- Experience changes weight, well-being, or activity
- Avoid typical social milestones, such as attending school dances, sleepovers, family vacations, and dates
For younger kids, parents may also notice an intense preoccupation with screens, a loss of interest in other activities, frustration when they can’t use screens, and difficulty in stopping them from using them. Plus, the amount of screen time a kid wants may keep increasing.
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