Joining me this week on the podcast is Johnny Tock. Johnny is the Director of Admissions at ReSTART, a program that specializes in technology addiction. The subject matter of this episode is a huge concern for many families, including my own. A survey from Parents Together found that of 3,000 parents surveyed, 85 percent were worried about the length of time their children spend online. If you’ve been a listener here, you know that I am a mom to two teenage boys. My boys are gamers. They enjoy gaming. A lot. And so do many of their friends. And when they aren’t gaming they are probably watching a YouTube video, or on Snapchat or <insert your favorite social media app here>. Yes, our kids are stuck at home and bored to tears right now and that is certainly making it harder to limit online activity. But tech abuse and addiction have been happening long before the pandemic. Do I think my boys have an addiction? No. But I’m also not naive enough to think that it isn’t possible. So when I learned about the ReSTART program through a friend, it became clear to me that I needed to publish an episode about the subject of technology and gaming addiction. One more thing worth mentioning…after I interviewed Johnny for this episode, our family sat down together one night and had an honest and not-so-easy conversation about our technology use. We agreed (some more reluctantly than others) that it was time for a change. So we drafted a contract and set some healthy technology boundaries with very clear consequences that would be enforced without question if/when those boundaries got broken. We’re only in week one of the contract but so far so good. I’ll keep you posted on my social media if you are interested in following me for updates. And if you want to learn more about implementing a contract for your own family, feel free to reach out to me via the High School Hamster Wheel website or Facebook page. I’d be glad to help.
About Johnny Tock
Johnny Tock is the Director of Admissions and Business Development for ReSTART, a program that specializes in technology addiction. As a licensed professional counselor in the state of Washington, Johnny assists adolescents and young adults struggling with screen addiction work through their underlying issues, incorporate strategies and skills related to managing technology, and develop successful plans for “plugging back in” after treatment. Previous to ReSTART, Johnny has over 12 years of experience working within a variety of different therapeutic environments, including a therapeutic boarding school, group homes, wilderness programs, community mental health facilities, and a high school directly affected by trauma. His primary areas of interest and focus are in trauma, anxiety, depression, and most recently, videogame/internet issues.
Episode Highlights
- The early days of internet addiction
- Early warning signs that tech use is becoming a problem
- When online life becomes a big part of your teen’s identity
- Using gaming as a coping mechanism for anxiety and depression
- The connection between device usage and brain chemistry
- What does a tech detox look like?
- How much tech is too much?
- What about devices in the bedroom?
- The risk of trauma experience through tech
- What about YouTube?
- Parents as tech role models
- Johnny’s advice for parents
- The differences between tech addiction and substance addiction
- Tech addiction can cause a lack of life
- How and when to seek help for your teen or young adult
- Programs available at ReSTART
- Planning a family tech detox
- Tech use isn’t all bad
Resources
iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood–and What That Means for the Rest of Us by Jean M Twenge PhD
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Alter