Screenagers

In the new documentary ‘Screenagers’, children can’t resist the pull of electronic devices and parents don’t know what to do about it. Sound familiar?

Did you know that the part of the brain responsible for things such as planning, decision-making and impulse control (the frontal cortex) grows slowly over the teen years and is not fully developed until our 20s? Screen time releases the chemical dopamine in the reward centres of the brain and there is no other time in life when you’re as susceptible to that pleasure-producing chemical than in adolescence.

The worst thing a parent can do is hand over a smartphone and hope for the best. But parents often feel like trying to set limits are pointless, that the cat is out of the bag, tech is everywhere. But kids’ brains aren’t wired to self-regulate. They can’t do it without you and they shouldn’t have to.

What should parent do then?

Given the right guidelines, kids can increase self-control over time. And that’s a more important indicator of success than even I.Q. You will see in the film, kids want rules around their screen time. So you have to set guidelines.

Screenagers will air at Event Cinemas in Maroochydore on Wednesday 31^st May. Further information about the screening can be found on the College’s Facebook page, under ‘Events’: https://www.facebook.com/pg/PacificLutheran/events/.

Ms Annie Williams, College Counsellor