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12: Electronic Screen Syndrome: Prevention and Treatment

DOI:

10.1891/9780826133731.0012

Authors

  • Dunckley, Victoria.L

Abstract

This chapter reviews the prevention and treatment of electronic screen syndrome (ESS). It describes how interactive screen time impacts nervous system physiology and how these effects translate into symptoms that have become common place in today’s youths. It also provides an overview of an intervention that has been used successfully in hundreds of patients to reverse such changes: the Reset Program. ESS is essentially a disorder of dysregulation. Dysregulation can be defined as an inability to modulate one’s mood, attention, or arousal level in a manner appropriate to one’s environment. Children with ESS exhibit symptoms due to chronic hyperarousal that cause significant dysfunction in school, at home, or with peers. Typical signs and symptoms include emotional dysregulation, poor executive functioning, disruptive or maladaptive behavior, insomnia, and nonrestorative sleep. The Reset is designed to reverse hyperarousal, realign nervous system physiology, and release the hold of electronics on the child and family.