Humans are wired for connections. Connections are as essential as food, water, and sleep. The human brain is having to adapt to increased connectivity at an amazingly fast rate, so fast that we can’t fully grasp the full individual and societal impacts. There is research that indicates that with increased device use, there is a reduction in face-to-face interactions, and data suggests that over a certain limit, adolescents experience increased anxiety and depression as their device use increases. Despite the potential negative impact, youth are using their devices and social networking sites (SNS) more and more to feel connected with ensuing dependence. Youth end up feeling disconnected and lost when unplugged and a vicious cycle of “wanting to be plugged in” impacts their daily quality of life. Their quality and quantity of sleep is impacted with implications for mood, emotion regulation, academics, and behavior. Playing outside, reading, hanging out with friends, and spending quality time with family is being sacrificed to make room for hours of device use (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, video games, and YouTube). Behavior becomes entrenched when specific neural pathways are used repeatedly; device use is no exception. Smartphone habits become entrenched with more usage. Researchers are discovering the damaging impact of high levels of device use on brain development and the potential for addiction. Young brains are plastic and responsive to interventions, but rewiring is an effortful process, and research supports prevention over remediation. We need to prevent over-dependence on device use while increasing prosocial behaviors.
Essential features of the CONNECTIONS app are a) assessment and goal-setting (to ensure a collaborative approach and individualized coaching); b) tracking of screen time/SNS use; c) in-the-moment coaching; d) parent and youth education; and e) encouragement of healthy socialization.
CONNECTIONS will utilize principles from evidence-based psychological interventions as well as what we have learned from years of working with youth. Coaching will focus on enhancing resilience, reducing factors associated with anxiety and depression, and fostering improved social skills. Coaching is based on motivational interviewing which is an evidence-based intervention that addresses ambivalence to change.
Children and teens will increase positive social interactions online and in the real world. Youth will develop skills to access the benefits of device use while reducing negative consequences. CONNECTIONS will do more than monitor use and it adds real-time coaching, a significant improvement over existing apps. Changing behaviors that bring instant gratification will be difficult and require the development of healthy habits. Parents all over the world struggle with issues such as when to get their children a connected device and ways to develop responsibility to manage the freedom that comes along with it. The goal is to increase knowledge of how screen time rewires brains and provide the tools needed to change behaviors. CONNECTIONS can achieve this by increasing self-monitoring and improving self-awareness through the use of in-the-moment education and coaching designed by our team (neuropsychologist, school psychologist, and clinical psychologists). CONNECTIONS can change the world by altering the way youth use their connected devices.
