PA R E N T I N G
DOPAMINE DANGER New evidence suggests we may need to be that bit firmer when it comes to limiting our kids’ access to phones, tablets or video games, with researchers exploring the link between screen time and addictive behaviours. Every generation of parents face their own set of unique challenges when it comes to raising well-rounded and intelligent children, but for today’s mothers and fathers the advent of the internet and the ever-growing ubiquity of electronic personal devices poses unprecedented problems. Anyone born in the Eighties will remember all too well the family squabbles over the television These days, there are more screens than people in the average UK household (AND outside of it), transmitting a never-ending array of (often dismal) content. We are in a whole new frontier when it comes to today’s technology, and although it’s tempting to let your child while away a rainy afternoon playing Candy Crush on your phone, if you notice them becoming irritable or frustrated, there’s a good chance that the pacifier is becoming the problem, and this is where dopamine comes in.
motivated behaviour, providing a special kind of buzz that a healthy brain learns to seek in moderation. And yet it also the same high you associate with drugs, or from when placing a coin into an arcade machine. Dopamine feedback loops are now widely recognised as a side effect of screen time, as the non-stop stimulation triggers the reward centre part of the brain leading to a constant longing for more. For children this can lead to a perpetual state of hyper stimulation where agitation and mentally exhaustion cause real problems with learning, social interaction and emotional regulation. On a small scale this leads to restless bedtimes, but on a bigger scale it can cause havoc with a child’s development.
The trick is in finding the balance. That means strict limits on how long your children can spend online, as well as leading by example by making sure you, as a parent, aren’t making your mobile phone the centre of your universe. Counteract the sedentary screen time with outdoor fun, exercise, real-life social interaction and good quality downtime that doesn’t involve that distracting blue light, and never use screen time as a reward. Finally, remember the ultimate antidote to screen time: boredom. Without boredom there is no creativity, and depriving our children of imagination would be the biggest crime of all.
But dopamine is good, right? It’s the feel-good chemical that floods our brain when we fall in love, or eat ice cream or stroke a puppy. It promotes reward-
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APRIL/MAY 2021
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