About Reconnected Youth

Many parents today are concerned about how much time their children spend on smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles. On one hand, digital technology is an essential part of modern life, but how much screen-time is healthy and when does it become problematic?

As parents, we might acknowledge that our own digital habits are unhealthy, but is the impact greater on the development and social skills of children and teenagers?

The mainstream media and some on social media are often prone to over-exaggeration and liberal use of words like “addiction” and “isolation”, but numerous studies exist which support concerns that excessive screen-time can harm children and teens by replacing physical activity and crucial face-to-face interaction. It can alter developing brain areas which are responsible for emotional and impulse controls, potentially leading to shorter attention spans, poorer academic performance, reduced empathy, heightened social anxiety and even depression.

Reconnected Youth is a community where we explore these issues in a measured way, invite discussion and offer practical tips for parents who want to help their children disconnect from tech so they can reconnect as a family.