(so listen up even if you aren't a parent.)
The Impact of Dopamine and Screen Addiction on our Children, our Society, and our Collective Future
It is time to stop beating around the bush or dismissing this public health crisis. Screen addiction is the #1 factor contributing to the mental health pandemic that is crushing our kids right now.
In today's world, where screens and instant gratification of all sorts are readily available, it's crucial to understand how these things affect our brains, our lives, and, especially, the development of our children.
Beware the tendency to tune this out as “Oh, I already know that,” which leads to inaction.
Or, “It’s not that big of a deal” which is likely your unrecognized “dopamine” apathy/addiction itself talking.
It is vital to understand and consider the concepts of "dopamine stacking", the pleasure-pain balance, the likelihood of addiction (for adults as well as kids, because let’s face it, it gets the best of me, how about you?), and how kids become “attached” to devices.
We ALL need an effective strategy to get unhooked if we want to thrive in our current and future context.
Even though we want it, there is never an amount of “more” that will ever be satisfying, because we are designed for our pleasure-pain balance to remain in equilibrium. The more we seek pleasure, the more we activate pain. This pleasure-pain balance is something all modern humans must master, lest we, too, become a part of the zombie apocalypse and mistake Netflix, YouTube, or pot gummies to be ingredients in a life worth loving.
Screen addiction is trickier in some ways than more obvious, overt forms of addiction because it is so all-pervasive, we have a compulsory requirement to use some amount of the drug on pretty much a daily basis, and it is seemingly innocuous at small doses making it hard to realize before we are already hooked.
This blog post will explore these concepts and provide some actionable steps to regain balance in our lives.
Understanding “Dopamine” and its Role
“Dopamine” (which I use symbolically with the understanding that there are no singular cause-effect relationships) is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, motivation, and desire. It drives us to seek rewards necessary for survival. It is more about seeking, than finding. However, problems arise when dopamine surges are triggered by stimuli that don't lead to true satisfaction. Activities like watching screens, consuming sugary foods, or constantly seeking external validation, pleasure, and entertainment can create artificial "dopamine" spikes that overshadow our baseline experience of authentic joy and satisfaction, making normal, everyday life seem boring, flat, and obligation-laden.
When the brain compares the dopamine spike to its baseline level, it begins to perceive the baseline "norm" as undesirable. This leads to a cycle of needing more and more stimulation to achieve the same level of satisfaction. This pattern can lead to a state where neither the initial activity nor the artificial spike produces any pleasure, leaving us feeling apathetic. It can also make us unable to enjoy simple activities without extra stimulation. This is especially troubling for children, whose brains are still developing. They may become overly reliant on devices and stimulation for self-soothing, hindering their ability to develop the capacity to self-regulate.
