Please enjoy this interesting discussion about the impact of screen time on the developing brain. I am speaking with Doctors Rachael Sharman and Michael Nagel from the school of Psychology at Sunshine Coast University QLD Australia about their new book Becoming Autistic- How technology is altering the minds of the next generation.
We discuss research about the impact of screen time on attention processing, empathy, "Group Think", body image, mental health, and suicide. We also cover the impact of screen time on developing "Theory of Mind"; dopamine and addiction behavior, and a new concept gaining momentum..... "virtual autism"
My goal for today's conversation is to help increase awareness about the impact of screen time and support for parents, individuals, and communities in starting a conversation about establishing screen time guidelines.
I appreciate the book title is a discussion point in itself! But the content is thought-provoking. Please consider being open to listening before drawing conclusions.
Some of the discussion points you will hear about include:
I am sure you all agree that the evidence shows a significant impact of screen time on mental health, brain maturation, and physical development. We know that the technology is here to stay but the evidence indicates we need to establish guidelines about its use. There are so many aspects of this discussion we can unpack from a Polyvagal perspective. Just one I will mention today, but will discuss further in another episode, is self-regulation. We as humans develop neural systems for self-regulation via coregulation with a safe other. It is the experience of being engaged and connected with another safe human that builds the neural networks for self-regulation. Engaging with devices blocks this process.
To purchase- access via amazon or other retailers.
Links to Rachael and Michael's research pages:
Rachael Sharman, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Web page: https://www.usc.edu.au/staff-repository/dr-rachael-sharman
Research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rachael_Sharman?ev=hdr_xprf
Michael C Nagel, PhD
Associate Professor
mnagel@usc.edu.au
https://www.usc.edu.au/staff/associate-professor-michael-nagel
I lo
Please support my work by sharing this episode with a friend or colleague:)