By Murray Sherriffs
Young people returning to school can find it hard to deprogram from their smartphones.
Some of them have been glued to their phones throughout the summer months.
A growing body of research has determined that withdrawal symptoms range from anxiety, frustration, difficulty to focus and even instinctively reaching for their device when it’s not there.
The pull can be even stronger on a developing teenage brain.
Dr. Shimi Kang, psychiatrist and clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia says that parents should expect some level of withdrawal, as teens shift between regulated and unregulated screentime routines.
Breaks from routine created on weekends and summer holidays can create more opportunity for uninterrupted screen time—and the effects can snowball.
Social media, in particular, can interfere with healthy habits.
Changes in all aspects of routine, regular sleep and dinner times, all have an impact.
So patience from mom and dad can help everyone to adapt, because new routines take time to embrace.
