147: The Impact of Screen Time on Young Minds with Dr. Alison Yeung

What do you do as a family medicine physician when more and more children and young adults are coming to you for anxiety and depression that isn’t made better by medications? You dig deeper. That’s exactly what Dr. Alison Yeung did and what her patients shared with her was astounding. Kids these days are spending an untold amount of time on their phones and its impacting their lives in severely detrimental ways.  Dr. Yeung is a practicing family physician in Ontario, Canada. She has been practicing for the past decade and over that time has become increasingly aware of the mental health crisis facing children and teens. She is hoping to raise awareness about this topic by educating parents and providing strategies to reduce the harm caused by social media and video games. Listen in to learn more about the research that’s being done in this field and what parents need to know about screens and children.    In this episode, we discuss:  What the research is saying about social media use. When is a good time for parents to let children have phones or use social media. How to talk with your kids about establishing their sense of self.   Resources: Dr. Yeung’s IG: @‌thesmartphoneeffect https://protectyoungeyes.com/ https://www.betterscreentime.com/ John Haidt Substack is an amazing resource for studies/data - https://substack.com/@jonathanhaidt Books: iGen, Dopamine nation, The Collapse of Parenting , The Anxious Generation (currently on preorder) Connect with Dr. Yeung: Dr. Yeung’s IG: @‌thesmartphoneeffect   Discount Codes from Our Sponsors: Apostrophe: Get started for only $5 when you go to www.apostrophe.com/lynzy and use the code lynzy Questions: When do I feel a child is ready for social media? Suggested boundaries around social media use. (applies to all screens really) Why is there a lot of correlational data on social media and mental health, but not much causational data? What have I learned from talking to parents who have kids struggling with smartphone overuse? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Om Podcasten

The Motherhood Meets Medicine Podcast is a space that brings all women together. It's for those who hope to be a mom one day, those who are already mothers, and mothers of mothers. This podcast will give you candid, informal interviews on motherhood topics that you can listen to while you're driving to work, folding laundry or whatever else your busy day may bring. Each week, Your host, Lynzy Coughlin, will be focusing on topics ranging from postpartum issues to parenting teens. She's bringing in experts with formal training to cover everything motherhood! So grab your coffee and join us for a weekly chat on your time. All are welcome! Lynzy is a Physician Assistant in the Emergency Department where she has practiced medicine for the last 15 years. You can connect with Lynzy on her Substack account, Badass Matriarch.