Shipley Parent Dr. Jesse Suh, P'31, a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral addiction, spoke to Shipley parents about the impact of digital technology on adolescent development — and what families can do about it. The presentation was part of Shipley's Learning Child Speaker Series.

Dr. Suh opened with a striking personal exercise: he shared his own screen time data and encouraged parents to do the same, noting that self-awareness is the essential first step before asking our kids to change their habits. For adolescents, the numbers are dramatic — research suggests the average teen spends about five hours a day on devices, consuming roughly 70% of their free time.

But why are teens especially vulnerable? Dr. Suh walked parents through adolescent brain development, explaining that the brain's reward center (ventral striatum) and emotional processing center (amygdala) run at full intensity in teens, while the prefrontal cortex — responsible for reasoning, impulse control, and time management — is still maturing. This means teens experience stronger pulls toward stimulating content and have fewer biological tools to resist it. Neuroimaging studies have even shown that problematic social media use activates the brain's reward circuitry in patterns similar to substance and gambling addiction.

Longitudinal research from the National Institutes of Health paints a concerning picture: smartphone ownership at age 12 was associated with increased rates of depression and insufficient sleep just one year later — regardless of whether the child was active on social media. Additional studies linked screen time in children as young as nine to disordered eating behaviors two years down the road.

Dr. Suh acknowledged the real benefits of technology — staying connected, identity exploration, access to mental health resources, and sheer convenience — but emphasized that parents play a critical role in guiding healthy use. His practical recommendations included:

1. Start with yourself. Review your own screen time and model the behavior you want to see.
   
   
2. Introduce devices later rather than sooner. Research suggests around age 16 may be more developmentally appropriate; Dr. Suh's own family waited until age 12 with a written agreement outlining expectations.
   
   
3. Set clear, gradual boundaries. Designate phone-free zones (the kitchen table, bedtime), establish screen-off hours, and avoid abrupt restrictions in favor of incremental change.
   
   
4. Offer replacement activities. Sports, walks, hobbies, and time outdoors naturally reduce screen time. When kids have something engaging to do, device use drops significantly.
   
   
5. Team up with other parents. Coordinate shared expectations among your child's friend group so no one child feels singled out.
   
   
6. Talk, don't just restrict. Sit down with your child, explain the reasoning, and make it a conversation — not a punishment. Their still-growing hippocampus means they learn best through experience and discussion.
   
   
7. Try the grayscale experiment. Switching a phone to grayscale mode has been shown to reduce usage dramatically by stripping away the visual stimulation that keeps us scrolling.

Dr. Suh closed by reminding parents that there is no magic fix — but consistent, compassionate engagement over time makes a real difference.

View the slides from Dr. Suh's presentation.

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References & Studies Cited

Pew Research Center. (2024). Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024.

Pew Research Center. (2025). Popular Social Media Platforms Among U.S. Teens.

Gallup. (2023). Gallup Familial/Adolescent Health Survey.

Riehm, K. E., et al. (2019). Association between social media use and depression among U.S. adolescents. JAMA Psychiatry.

Ivie, E. J., Pettitt, A., Moses, L. J., & Allen, N. B. (2019). A meta-analysis of the association between adolescent social media use and depressive symptoms.

Shannon, H., Bush, K., Villeneuve, P. J., Hellemans, K. G. C., & Guimond, S. (2022). Problematic social media use in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Wadsley, M., Ihssen, N., & Whelan, R. (2023). Neuroimaging studies of problematic social media use: A meta-analysis.

Nagata, J. M., et al. (2023). Nighttime smartphone use and sleep disturbances in adolescents.

Nagata, J. M., et al. (2025). Screen use and mental health symptoms in adolescents.

Chu, J., Ganson, K. T., Testa, A., Al-Shohaib, A. A., Jackson, D. B., Rodgers, R. F., He, J., Baker, F. C., & Nagata, J. M. (2024). Screen time, problematic screen use, and eating disorder symptoms among early adolescents: Findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

Barlyn, R., Dimpfel, S., Tran, P. H., Visoki, E., Pagliaccio, D., & Auerbach, R. P. Smartphone ownership, age of smartphone acquisition, and health outcomes in early adolescence.

Ravizza, S. M., Uitvlugt, M. G., & Fenn, K. M. (2017). Logged in and zoned out: How laptop internet use relates to classroom learning.

Day, A., et al. (2021). Classroom technology use and its relationship to student learning.

Angwin, J. (2025). I Killed Color on My Phone. The Result Shocked Me. The New York Times.