Trent and Caitlin ask clinical psychologist Dr. Melissa Fisher Paoni about problem technology use among children and teens, how to help them stay safe without crossing the line into over-surveillance or excessive restriction, and why one-size-fits-all policies are often insufficient.

References

Dr. Paoni’s articles: https://www.illinoistimes.com/special-issues/not-all-screen-time-is-created-equally-17310116

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/video-game-health/202312/preparing-for-the-conversation-about-screen-time-rules

How to change settings to protect child users: https://www.protectyoungeyes.com/

“Wait Until 8th” org: https://www.waituntil8th.org/

“Addiction” metaphor: https://www.kvoa.com/townnews/hydrography/biology-teacher-calls-it-quits-due-to-student-phone-addiction/article_4a50dce4-1719-11ef-88cf-5739cf2f4a5b.html

Relationship to mental illness: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/06/17/social-media-mental-health-research-surgeon-general/

Age verification on social media: https://www.pcmag.com/news/experts-heres-why-age-verification-rules-for-social-media-wont-work