- Is it an addiction? The role of dopamine
- Variable interval rewards: The most powerful reinforcement
- Perpetual state of “fight or flight”
- Impact of technology on the prefrontal cortex
- ”Multi-tasking”: Changing the landscape of learning
- The impact of screen time on rumination
- Impulse control at all ages: Instant v. delayed gratification
- The psychological hook of “checking in”
- Broad skills deficits for coping with normal situations
- Collective anxiety due to 24/7 news cycles
- Generational differences
- Illusions of perfection online
- New fears created/exacerbated by digital media:
- Negative evaluation/rejection
- Having behavior recorded or posted publicly
- Fear of missing out (FOMO)
- Confrontation
- Taking on responsibilities (“Adulting”)
- Nomophobia
- Use of technology to avoid emotional experiences
- The meaning of “friend” has changed
- Cyberbullying at all ages: The power of anonymity
- Key questions that uncover anxiety related to digital media use
- Techniques for providing meaningful psychoeducation
- Use “demand delays” to diminish impact of rapid screen shifting
- Tools for setting device boundaries to create more balance
- ”Be still” techniques to tolerate time away from devices
Therapy Tools to Improve Emotional Regulation, Reduce Anxiety and Build Self-Worth
Exposure Therapy/Coaching
- Avoid avoidance!
- How to provide meaningful psychoeducation
- The 3 C’s: Calm, Competent, and Confident
- Accurate anticipation: The power of imagination exposure
- Techniques for teaching social skills
- 5 ways to overcome fears of social situations
- Utilize FOMO (fear of missing out) as a tool for goal development
- Address “adulting” fears
- Challenge the “comparison fallacy” of online interactions
- Identify and challenge distorted beliefs about the self
- Create new self-talk by changing the script
- Combat perfectionism and procrastination
- Ellis’ ABCD approach to identify inhibiting beliefs
- Eliminate the stressor – incorporate media “time outs”
- Manage time and environment
- Shifting attitudes
- Skills for calming the persistently vigilant nervous system
- Interrupt rumination and build resilience
- Apps that promote calming breathing techniques
- Identify and address personal bias/countertransference issues
- Between-session recommendations that reinforce skills
- Limitations of the research and potential risks


