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Adolescent Smartphone Use Disorder

Picture of Stonewater Recovery By   ·  2 minute read
Today, smartphones are ubiquitous around the country. More and more, teens are using smartphones to communicate with their friends, complete homework, and do other daily tasks. Unfortunately, adolescent smartphone use disorder is also becoming more and more common around the country. As such, if you see your teen struggling with a smartphone use disorder, it is critical for you to seek treatment for them as soon as possible. Otherwise, this problem can lead to other problems.  At Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center, we provide treatment for this issue, as well as several others. To learn more about the treatment options for adolescent smartphone use disorder, contact us today.

What is Adolescent Smartphone Use Disorder?

Where do adolescents go when they fall down the ubiquitous rabbit hole of their digital screens? As parents, we try to regulate their screen time, monitor their internet activity with parenting apps, and limit what they watch on television. Often what they are not seeing at home, they're seeing in school. Most schools are equipped with computers, tablets, and digital devices. Dr. Nicholas Kardaras wrote in a controversial article that digital screens were a form of digital heroin.  In telling the stories of many parents who found their children transformed by screen time, Kardaras forms a horrifying idea: that children are beginning to abuse  technology.

The Link Between Substance Use Disorder and Adolescent Smartphone Use Disorder

Worse, interaction with digital screens in adolescence is linked to drug and alcohol use. Over 200 peer-reviewed studies correlate excessive screen usage with a whole host of clinical disorders..., Kardaras writes for The New York Post . Recent brain-imaging research confirms that glowing screens affect the brain's frontal cortex-- which controls executive functioning, including impulse control-- in exactly the same way as drugs like cocaine and heroin. Citing studies conducted on US military veterans receiving treatment for PTSD and severe physical traumatic injury, Kardaras emphasizes that ...screens and video games can literally affect the brain like digital morphine. Participants in the study felt no pain, according to brain imaging, when they interacted with screens and played a game involving penguins and Paul Simon music. Gaming use disorder, social media use disorder, and internet use disorders are problematic for adolescents. The adolescent brain is still developing. Combined abuse of screens and substances like drugs and alcohol cause serious cognitive impairments, affecting mental health, resulting in social problems, academic problems, and problems at home.

Contact Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center

Adolescent smartphone use disorder is a major problem, and adolescents and teens require real solutions. At Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center, we strive to make sure that we give them the chance to recover. We provide them with individualized treatment, made of both holistic and evidence-based therapies. These therapies can go a long way in making sure that the adolescent has the opportunity for long-term recovery. In short, your teen is able to overcome their past and reclaim their future. Some of our exceptional treatment modalities include:

Treatment for a dualistic issue of gaming use disorder and drug use disorder requires a complete disconnect. Only then can a teen connect with the elements, far removed from temptations of the digital world. Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center offers the clinical haven adolescents need in addition to the academic structure and healing environment necessitated by use. We provide a continuum of care for youth recovery development. In short, Stonewater offers the programming your child may need. Contact Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center today for more information about treatment for adolescent smartphone use disorder at 662.373.2828.