Fascinated: The Effects of Screens on Children's Brain

By John Miller

In the street, in the playgrounds, at home... Have you seen these children by their screens? Is it a passing fashion effect, a small weakness without consequence? Certainly not! New technologies are changing the brains of an entire generation of children. Screens activate the brain's pleasure centers as much as sexual activity, and they do the same neurological damage as cocaine. Clinical studies increasingly correlate screens with disorders such as adhd, addiction, anxiety, depression, aggression, and even psychoses. John Miller, addictologist, has accompanied many young drug addicts from virtual world in their digital detox. He explains the causes of this global epidemic and the effect on children of our wonderful technological toys...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Yasir Abbas
• Release date: Nov 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215595145

Book preview

Fascinated

The Effects of Screens on Children's Brain

John Miller

Table of Contents

Introduction  Technology And Its Problems

Chapter  One Invasion Of The Hypnotized

Lost In The Matrix

The Tetris Effect

Get Kids Hooked

Why Young People Can No Longer Concentrate

Real Life Vs Digital Experiences

Chapter Two  The Best Of E-Worlds

The Electronic Soma

New Technologies: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Chapter Three  Digital Drugs And The Brain

Digital Morphine

Trapped In The Rabbit Hole Of Digital Addiction

The Addiction Riddle

Dopamine Tickling

Myelin – The Brain's High-Speed Bandwidth

The Rat Park: The Outbuilding And The Cage

Chapter Four  Interview with Dr. Doan, Neuroscientist and Former Gamer ¹

Chapter Four  The Great Disconnect

SMS And Social Networks

The Texting Effect

Villains, Social Networks And Suicide

Social Networks, Vulnerable Girls And Sexual Predators

The Question Of The Telephone At School

Chapter Five  Clinical Disorders And The Hypnotized Effect

The Screen Syndrome

Screens And The ADHD Effect

Screens And Depression

Screens And Electromagnetic Fields

Chapter Six  Do Like Me

The Effect Of Mass Media

Chapter Seven Video Games And Aggression

Chapter Eight Newton's Massacre

Video Game Psychosis

Chapter Nine  Ethan Patz And The End Of Innocence – And Outdoor Activities

Chapter Ten  The School And Screen Game

Screens And The Industrial School System

When Australia Gives Lessons In Education

Reading: Screens Versus Paper

More Screens, Less Eye Contact

Screens In The Classroom? Think First, Screens Later

Chapter Eleven  Welcome To The E-World

A Parable From Star Trek

Avatars And Second Life

Future Technology Now

The End Of Reality

E-Athletes

Chapter Twelve The Solution, Escape From Plato's e-Cavern

Plato's Cave

Treating Technology Addiction

Awareness And Social Changes

Introduction

Technology And Its Problems

Captain Kirk was the boss.

At least that's what I thought in 1974, when I was still an impressionable seventh grader. Watching reruns of Star Trek , I imagined myself on the deck of the Enterprise with tough-guy Captain Kirk, accompanied by Mr. Spock and his legendary composure, traveling where no man has ever been . gone , speeding superlight toward exotic planets while seducing self-assured green-skinned women—what more could a hot-blooded boy want?

And then there was all this cutting-edge technology! That communicator that Kirk opened with such a natural gesture to order Teleport, Scotty. I wanted so badly to be part of his crew that I made hundreds of versions of this paper device while I was supposed to listen to my teacher, Miss Legheart , talk in a monotonous voice about the founding pilgrims of the United States, of fractions or something... But certainly nothing quite as thrilling as a figment of my Star Trek -fired imagination .

I dreamed of a time when reality could overtake my sci-fi daydreams without understanding the wisdom of the old adage that you have to be careful what you wish for. Because indeed, the technology available Kirk is now part of our daily lives, but it costs us very, very dearly.

Believe me, that was not my intention; what I desperately wanted was guilt-free technology. Unfortunately, it seems our society has made a Faustian bargain. Yes, we are benefiting from these marvels of the digital age – tablets, smartphones , miraculous and mesmerizing gadgets connecting people in every corner of the world capable, literally, of having the sum of human knowledge at their fingertips.

But what is the price of all this technological debauchery? The psyche and soul of an entire generation. Because the sad truth is that in the name of the comfort, ease and excitement that these jewels of the modern era engender, we have stupidly thrown an entire generation into the virtual nettles.

Come on, you will say to me, aren't you exaggerating a little? And yet, look around you. Consider any restaurant where families gather or any place frequented by children and teenagers – fast food joints, schoolyards, friends' houses – what do you see?

Zombified young people, their heads lowered, their eyes glassy, their faces lit up by the screens. Like the soulless characters of Invasion of the Defilers or the zombies of The Walking Dead , one by one our children succumbed to the digital plague.

I had my first taste of this emerging global epidemic in the summer of 2002, on the island of Crete. As newlyweds, my wife and I had planned a trip to Greece, the land of my parents and ancestors, to escape the frenzy of New York.

After the usual stops in Mykonos and Santorini, we decided to take the ferry to the rougher island of Crete and walk for a few hours along the ancient Samaria Gorge to the remote coastal village of Loutro. It's a magical place: a superb sun-drenched beach where laughing tourists wade in the clearest water; a peaceful place that time has forgotten... There are no cars, no big shops, no televisions, no flashing lights, just traditional whitewashed houses and a handful of inns and taverns opposite at the sea.

During our first day there, after spending the morning at the beach, we stopped in one of the bistros to drink a coffee. I asked the waiter where the restroom was and he pointed out steep steps to a low-ceilinged, poorly lit basement. Once down, I saw a strange glow emanating from a corner. Squinting into the dimness, I could see its source: the anemic local version of an internet cafe with two antiquated Apple computers sitting on a small table in a corner of this depressing basement. Looking closer, I made out the dark silhouettes of two chubby American children playing a video game, their round faces illuminated by the screens inches from their faces.

Weird, I thought to myself; these two are a few meters from one of the most beautiful maritime settings in the world, where Greek children play from morning to night, and they hide in the dark on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

During our stay, I went back to this café twice more, and each time I found them cloistered in this basement, their faces lit up. Not being yet a parent, I didn't pay much attention to these two plump kids with bright faces and concluded, admittedly a little peremptorily, that their parents must not have brought them up well.

And yet, I did not forget the hypnotized expressions of these boys playing in this horrible basement a few meters from paradise. Slowly I began to realize that those glassy stares were becoming a virtual blight, like the drip from a leaky faucet; the Hypnotized multiplied.

Is it harmless fun or just a passing fad, like a digital hula-hoop ? Some even say that these screens are good for children, that it is an interactive education tool.

But after careful investigation, that is not the conclusion I have come to. In fact, not a single study proves that a child exposed from an early age to this technology has a better chance in life than another " tech-free "; if the former is shown to have better pattern recognition, nothing says he is a better student.

On the contrary, a growing mountain of evidence shows that Hypnotized can suffer extremely negative clinical and neurological effects. Brain imaging shows that bright screens – like those on iPads – stimulate the brain's pleasure centers and can increase levels of dopamine (the feel-good neurotransmitter) in equal proportions to sex. This cerebral orgasm effect is what makes screens so addictive for adults, and even more so for children, whose developing brains aren't ready to handle this level of stimulation.

Additionally, a growing body of clinical research links screens to psychiatric disturbances such as attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, addiction, anxiety, aggressive behavior and even psychoses. Even more shocking, recent brain imaging studies show without a shadow of a doubts that excessive exposure to screens can damage a developing child's neurons in the same way as a cocaine addiction.

You read that right: the brain of a child addicted to screens resembles that of a drug addict.

In fact, screens are such a powerful cam that the University of Washington is employing a virtual reality video game to help burn victims manage pain during treatment. Incredible but true: when they are immersed in the game, they feel the effect of a strong analgesic similar to morphine which exempts them from taking medication to reduce pain. While this purely medical use of technology is very useful, it also means that we are unknowingly giving our children digital morphine.

Ironically , while the United States has supposedly declared war on drugs ¹ , we have left this virtual drug – that Dr. Commander Dr. Andrew Doan, a graduate in neuroscience and director of addiction research for the US Navy, calls " pharmakeia (drug in Greek) digital, and Chinese researchers electronic heroin" – fit into the homes and classrooms of our youngest children, the most vulnerable, apparently unaware of its negative effects.

Meanwhile, China has identified internet addiction as its number one health problem with 20 million adolescents affected; it has opened 400 addiction clinics and gives every student, teacher and parent a pamphlet warning them of the potential dangers of screens and technology. And yet, here in the United States, blind and sometimes corrupt bureaucrats in the education system are doing their best to get tablets – yes, e-cocaine – into the hands of children as young as kindergarten.

And why not ? Bringing technology into the classroom is a financial windfall estimated at over $60 million in 2018 alone. Yet, during my research for this book, I discovered that it is also a true romance where greed, scandal and even an FBI investigation mingle.

If our schools are disappointing us by failing to protect our children from the dangers of age-inappropriate technology, surely parents need to start waking up to the problem? Unfortunately, many conscientious and well-meaning breeders are unaware of the negative effects of screens, and those who sense there may be a problem are left in convenient denial.

After all, it's hard to accept that these gadgets, which so many of us have come to love, could have negative effects for us and even worse, for our children. We've become so addicted to our digital nannies or so-called virtual learning tools that we don't want to admit that our beloved smartphones or our wonderful all-knowing iPads are damaging our children's brains – no, not possible!

But whether you like it or not, that's how it is.

I, who am one of the greatest American specialists in addiction, know how to recognize it. And it takes on epidemic proportions in this obsession with video games, compulsive texting and the staring gaze of children who consult me. In fact, for the past ten years, I've led clinical work with more than a thousand teenagers, which allowed me to see the insidious negative effect of screens, generating all sorts of clinical disorders and discomfort caused by digital technology.

And yet, while all over the world, screens hypnotize our children, parents either ignore the problem or throw up their hands in the air and say, "That's the way it is, these are the kids of today. But they were n't always like that; Barely six years have passed since the invention of the iPad – and in that simple blink of an eye, a whole generation of children have felt the psychological impact and had their neurons reconfigured.

I know very well that I can arouse the incomprehension or even the anger of technophiles and gamers, as video game enthusiasts call themselves. But this book is not intended as an indictment of technology. I'm not a backslider myself. Rather, it is about educating concerned adults about the society in which they live while warning parents of the clinical and neurological dangers that excessive screen exposure can have on their children .

I like technology. I also like to drive my car, but I don't think my eight-year-old twins should get behind the wheel. So, screen warriors, don't worry, I'm only going to cover the effects on the younger ones . I'm not here to enjoin those of you who are old enough to make your own choices to unplug everything that can be – although getting outside once in a while wouldn't hurt. And I'm not talking about a synthetic existence or even Second Life . I'm talking about a real life, where we walk outside, where we take the time to smell the flowers, where we have a girlfriend, where we smell the grass under our feet.

Make no mistake: I fully understand the attraction of all these gadgets. I am not just one addiction expert, but also a drug addict in remission – the master of escapism from reality. To tell you the truth, although I've been in remission for years, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a healthy relationship with this attractive little smartphone .

As I run a state-of-the-art detox clinic and take care of many patients, I have to be constantly available in case of emergency. But the reality is that even now, I have a hard time unplugging myself, even on vacation. Like the smoking cardiologist, I know I'm not immune to the addictive tendencies that seep into my life. Which leads me to conclude that if, despite my education and my work around detox, I really have so much trouble managing my use of technology with my fully developed adult brain, what about a impulsive eight-year-old? Any chance of resisting it?

Whatever we may think of technology's influence on an adult, you don't have to be an addiction expert or a neuroscientist – or a Luddite – to see the undeniable negative effect of technology on adults too. young people, both in the latest studies and in the daily reality of children connected, but absent from real life.

But while smart authors and savvy bloggers debate the pros and cons of the technology, its growing ubiquity is hurting children in real and tangible ways, and it is doing it now .

As Yogi Bear would say, it's getting late early .

—NK

January 2016

Sag Harbor, New York

1. " War on drugs ", declared in 1971 when President Nixon decided that drugs were the number one problem, escalating under the Reagan administration, to continue in the 1980s, when the introduction of crack cocaine wreaks havoc. It is still effective, although its effectiveness is more than disputed.

Chapter

One Invasion Of The Hypnotized

Lost In The Matrix

Ihad my Houston, we got a problem! moment. " It was ten years ago. Sure, I had seen a few red flags earlier on that famous vacation in Greece, but until 2007 I hadn't realized how serious the problem was. I was not yet aware of the danger that screens, hypnotic and neurologically destructive, presented for children.

Everything changed that same year, 2007, on a cold October afternoon. I thought I had a solid knowledge of addiction: after all, I taught it in one of the most prestigious universities, I had a doctorate in neuroscience and specialized in its treatment. So I had seen others – or so I thought.

I also thought I had seen everything during my work as a pediatrician. As a shrink in a university, I received hundreds of teenagers; I've seen victims of sexual abuse, drug addicts, antisocials, gang members, anarchists, pedophiles, schizophrenics, Columbine loners, self-harm, obsessive-compulsive and arsonists . An ordinary working day.

But nothing had prepared me for Dan, a young man sent to me that fateful day in 2007.

He walked into my office looking lost, haggard... and terrified. He sat down slowly, squirming nervously in his chair facing my desk, constantly moving his head in an almost spasmodic movement, his startled gaze scanning the four corners of the room.

I asked him if he knew where he was: he did not answer. He just blinked nervously and kept moving his head.

Dan, do you know where we are? I asked him once more. Still no answer.

After a long, awkward silence, he suddenly looked at the ceiling lamp and blinked as if to come to his senses. He lowered his head then, his brown eyes meeting mine. His face reflected the terror and confusion of those who see things – sometimes horrific, sometimes mundane – that no one else can see. I immediately recognized that expression of fear; I had encountered it many times among schizophrenics.

Although this sallow, greasy-haired, sixteen-year-old man in a faded Metallica T-shirt had no history of mental illness or drug abuse, he had been referred to me because of his erratic driving.

I asked him again, more firmly:

Dan, do you know where we are? He blinked once more.

Then, finally, he looked me straight in the eye and mumbled with a distraught air:

Are we... are we still in the game?

No, definitely not.

Dan was my first – and clearly not the last – encounter with a form of psychosis born from excessive video game use (called Game Transfer Phenomena [GTP], – or game transfer phenomenon [PTJ] – or Tetris Effect ² ), a form of psychotic crisis that can accompany excessive video games, often combined with sleep deprivation, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. And sure enough, Dan had been playing the infamous World of Warcraft , affectionately dubbed " WoW " by many of his followers, for 10-12 hours a day only to eventually get lost in the Matrix.

I later discovered that World of Warcraft is a mythical role-playing game (JDR) taking place in a fantasy universe called Azeroth and telling the war between two factions, the Alliance and the Horde. Extremely complete with a very detailed history and guilds created and administered by the players themselves, WoW offers a rich experience while providing opportunities for social interaction (via a voice interface) with other players. These games where users make connections with each other are called Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs).

Players become emotionally invested in these worlds, in their character progression, and in their connections with other users. In fact, with ten million subscribers, World of Warcraft is the most popular of its kind.

As I sought to assess Dan, it dawned on me that, for me, lost patients in a video game were a new field. Distortions of reality have long stemmed from psychedelic drugs; specialized psychologists are used to working with the effects derived from LSD, mescaline and PCP. And yet, it seems that this new high of the 21st century is the fruit of a digital drug .

As Dan stood in front of me, he was obviously confused and scared. He suffered from psychiatric symptoms of derealization (no longer knowing how to recognize the reality of the illusion) and depersonalization (when one has the impression of not being oneself real). His complete immersion in the game had burned his brain.

In my work with patients suffering from these dissociative experiences, I use the beneficial effect of grounding techniques. Basically, it is about helping the patient use their five senses to perceive the physicality of the present moment. Dan and I remained standing, clapping our hands as loudly as possible, which seemed to bring him out of his delirium momentarily. I asked him to take and crumple up a sheet of paper, which he did.

- Where are we ?

"You're in my office talking to me. Are you still in the game?

- No, I do not think ... But I feel funny ... As if I was still not in my body.

Dan goes on to describe his experience in WoW . He was so addicted to it that he played it all night, without eating, drinking or going to the bathroom; when the need arose, he urinated into a jar placed next to his computer. I was to find out later that this practice is quite common among WoW fans ; the game's gravitational pull is so powerful that some wear diapers, like astronauts or long-haul drivers, so as not to lose a moment ³ .

At this point, he began to cry.

- I'm afraid. I don't know what's happening to me... Am I going crazy?

Since his symptoms could only improve briefly, only to get worse when flashbacks from the game took hold of him again, he was sent to the psychiatric emergency room. This poor kid had to spend a month in the hospital to be stabilized with medication and therapy sessions before he could regain his footing in reality.

During this time, I discussed with his mother his addiction to games, which was such that he spent his nights there. She was an uneducated spinster working at the local Walmart supermarket ; though vaguely concerned about her son's vampire schedules, she was glad that at least he was staying home instead of hanging out in the streets like the other kids when he holed up in his room to play.

When he left the hospital, he asked me to help him not to relapse. I encouraged him to throw away all of his video games and get back to what he used to like to do. Before discovering virtual worlds, he played basketball on the local court; I advised him to go out and get back to it. A week later, I got a call from his mother,

furious :

"Do you know how much all those games and electronic gadgets you made him throw away cost? Eh ? »

Taken aback, I replied:

"Your son has just spent a month in psychiatry as a result of his problems due, or at least