Simple Steps to Rescue Your Child from Digital Overload
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ค. 2024
- Are your kids suffering from digital overload? Do you wonder if it’s too late for your already addicted kids? Listen as Dawn speaks with Melanie Hempe on screen addiction and how to help our kids thrive in a digital age.
ABOUT MELANIE:
Melanie Hempe helps parents prevent screen addiction, rescue their kids, and enjoy family life again. After her oldest son dropped out of college due to his video game addiction, Melanie Hempe, BSN, utilized her nursing degree from Emory University to warn families about the dangers of screen overuse and founded ScreenStrong. Melanie simplifies medical science for parents, empowering them with the reasons to skip not all screen use but the most harmful screen use-social media, violent video games, and pornography-through adolescence.
IN THIS EPISODE:
0:00 Intro
2:39 How Melanie became interested in screen safety
15:45 Kids 0-5
23:02 How long will it take to detox?
29:40 The science behind screens
33:07 Kids 6-12 year olds
42:40 “I want to reduce screen-time, where do I begin?”
44:44 “What if it’s my spouse who is addicted?”
48:40 Kids Brains and Screens book
LINKS MENTIONED:
Kids Brains and Screens book - amzn.to/3U4p1uX
The Screen Strong Solution book - amzn.to/3xFckPD
Be Screen Strong IG - / bescreenstrong
Canopy - canopy.us/
Melanie’s son’s perspective on growing up without screens - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
How to teach young kids to play on their own - • Your Toddler CAN Play ...
Welcome to The Official Minimal Mom Podcast channel. If you'd like to hear previous episodes, you can find them on all podcasting apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iTunes.
Thank you so much for listening and could I ask a favor? Would you mind subscribing? It helps TH-cam recommend this podcast to more friends. Thank you! Dawn
ABOUT THE MINIMAL MOM:
Hi, I'm Dawn, if we haven't met before, I'm married to Tom and we have four kids ages 8-13. We live outside of the Twin Cities in MN and have called ourselves minimalists for 8 years now. We got rid of 85% of our stuff and don't miss ANY OF IT!
If you'd like to see more instructional videos about minimalism and decluttering, be sure to check out my other channel @theminimalmom
Homeschool working mom of an only child. I have completely let this get out of control. Ready to take it back. Prayers welcome!
Good job mom you can do it!!
🙏🏼
I have an only child too and it's so easy to use the screen when I start to feel overwhelmed. Best of luck to you ❤️ we can do this!
What other things can fill the time? No sibling to chill with and not a lot of money to pay for lots of classes and entertainment
@@CC-fe9of I have that problem and mine is 17 years old..
I was a child before all of this became available but when I used to tell my mother “I’m bored.” She’d say, “Great, You can help me with the housework.” Worked like a charm.
It wasn't easy but I had a heart-to-heart with my 12 year old on the way home from church today. I let him know that we were going to stop video games for a few months, maybe permanently (definitely permanently). He took it so much better than I expected. It is already packed away and out of sight!
Dawn, Praise the Lord that someone is teaching this. Our Pastor says all the time not to buy your child a cell phone & stay off social media. It's hard to he different, but in the end, you'll be so glad. I just sent this to about 20 people. Great podcast. 😊
My teenage daughter fell out with her best friend last week. She decided for herself to put her phone aside. For that evening I had my girl back, she lounged with me, chatted with me, helped at dinner time without being asked. It was beautiful!
Naturally, they made up the next day and I lost her again!
Gold. I'm sharing this with all my mom friends. It's so hard to keep our heads steady with what we know is right. I can't tell you how pumped and encouraged I am to never get a smart phone for my kids and cut back my own usage. It's what my gut tells me, but to hear other moms say it really, really helps!
I'm not even done with this podcast and it's one of the best I've heard. She's extremely engaging and informative and I'm so thankful there are people out there educating us about this addiction and how it affects our kids!!!
I tried to raise my son as though it were the 1970s...I bought the "old" board games and toys, read A LOT, had a mini trampoline, park days, and our favorite DVD "slow" series was the b&w Dennis the Menace. Such a great show! Home Improvement, I love Lucy, and Family Ties were also slow paced yet enjoyable. We would only watch 1 to 2 episodes daily. Children are craving those idyllic childhoods, and it is much easier to do when homeschooling. LOVED this interview!
This conversation was fenomenal. I don't have kids but who cares. I could listen to you both for 2 more hours
Where are you guys when my kids are younger 😢 can’t turn back time
Just so mothers don't assume all the guilt for mistakes. Fathers should be taking responsibility, also.
I did try to keep these things from my son but didn't have the support of my spouse I wish it were different.
Such a wonderful conversation! Here in the Netherlands, children get smartphones quite early because they tend to bike to school by themselves at a young age. We decided to give our oldest (she's 8) a smartwatch. She can only call the numbers that I have programmed into it (via an app on my phone). And we can track her GPS location. I am forever grateful for a friend who raised her kids without screens and told me to get a CD player and books on tape. My oldest listens to stories for hours on end, and her concentration is amazing. Half of her class needs fidget toys during lessons because they cannot pay attention otherwise. It's so sad.
hi ik ben ook uit nederland :) grappig, bij mij thuis is hij al 17 jaar dus het advies van de trampoline etc is niet opvolgbaar vond het jammer dat er geen vervangende bezigheden voor die leeftijd zijn wanneer hij uren thuis zit en nu dus achter een scherm.... hoop dat je een leuke koningsdag had..
@@jontim7667 Er is een boek (digitaal minimalisme) dat meer aan volwassenen gericht is en ook meer van toepassing is op tieners. De schrijver zegt dat we de schermtijd die we missen met kwaliteit hobby’s moeten aanvullen, zoals b.v. sporten, iets maken met onze handen (niet gamen of Netflix dus 😅). Misschien is er een bezigheid wat hij leuk zou vinden om te doen ipv met zijn telefoon bezig te zijn? Ik heb het advies voor mijzelf gebruikt en het werkt super.
This is sooooooo good!! Thank you, Dawn! I have two boys (2 & 5) and we are actively working on detoxing from screens. My two year old will have severe meltdowns after any screen time. This is such an important message!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤
I think animals are a good distraction for kids as well if you are able to accommodate them. We had a pregnant cat show up on our doorstep last summer and my kids spent all summer making kitten houses in the backyard😂 it was detox the lazy mom way because i didn't have to fight to get them outside, and once they were out they loved it!
I wish more people were talking about this. We have 8 kids 5-22 and have been what I consider pretty successful in navigating screens/social media. No phones until they are driving and zero social media until they are 18 (only one of our adult children has opted to get social media and it hasn't been an issue at all). We also check their phones and know all passwords, etc...although it's never really been a problem because expectations were set from the get-go. Our little kids have basically zero "screen time." Again, we sort of made it a non-issue by not ever allowing it in the first place so it's not a fight we have to have. We homeschool so I recognize that it's much easier for us to opt out of these things....I do think, though, that adult screen usage is perhaps even more out of control and needs to be addressed!
One of the saddest things I’ve ever seen was a seven year old messing around on a smartphone at a birthday party instead of playing with her friends. I think most families can find a a balance for screen use, but we need to make sure the kids understand that screens are not real life, even the social media that pretends to be a dystopian mirror of real life. Step one for us parents is probably to cut back on our screen time as well; kids are highly resistant to doing anything we aren’t willing to do ourselves.
Ah I know right! That is the saddest thing I have ever heard of!
. . . I had to, immediately, share this with my Son with 2 young teens...praying that it will be of help for my Beautiful grandkids... thx so much for this highly valuable & urgent vid...
I drive a school bus so get to hear a lot of kids talk about what they do. One kid played mind craft (his words) all the time. He always talked about slender man and siren head and other characters that did evil things. What a sick world we have now.
There’s a lot of extremely creepy games targeted towards kids. It’s weird.
There were three girls who were friends and two tried to murd3r the third. Slender man was the catalyst. It was recently a show on 20/20 or 48 Hours. Definitely living in a sick world these days.
U talking about Minecraft? Siren head is cool and never did anything wrong, these kids just talk about regular kid things, trust me
This is one of the best podcasts I have ever listened too. Thank you very much for supplying us with this. Very important information. I see the difference with my sons if they have too much screen time. Mood change, not connected to us as much. Has a big knock on effect. I started noticing this and put a schedule in place but after listening to this I think I will be adjusting that more and I'll take the heat from them short term for the long term benefit. Thank you both. I look forward to learning more👏
Wonderful!!! Shared with all my kids and grandkids. Something other than being grateful that we raised our kids before computer and cell phones!!!
Dawn, this was probably my favorite video of yours so far. Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you Dawn and Melanie!! What a great message. I needed to hear this. Thank you for supporting parents and families.
this woman saved my family! we follow screen strong family and wait till 8th, the best initiative ever! thank you so much Melanie, you saved one generation!
We just had a 12 yr old bday party and a couple of kids immediately took out their smartphones to play games/watch videos when we took a break for pizza, to the point that it was shocking as we really limit screen time/no phone. This is a great convo. Thanks ladies!
I have sent this to all of my adult children and their significant others plus other family members. This information is OUTSTANDING!!! Thank you 💜
Powerful information! Thank you both!
Oh my gosh, I was so excited to hear Melanie's voice when I started this podcast!! Love ScreenStrong almost as much as I love you and this interview is a match made in heaven 🙌.
Thank you for this podcast!!
This woman is an amazing gift!
Thank you I am a grandparent and will be sharing this with my children.
WOW! What an amazing video… This is so empowering and so needed! Thank you Dawn for sharing this 💕
Everyday Sport trainings (clubs) are great way to give them dopamine & some kind of fun with others outside home. Mine said that he love more play&meet with real kids than online. Problem begins with schoolbooks which forse more ebooks & online exercises &exams even in 1grade.
I wish I would have known this with my grown kids. Thank you for your transparency and message.
May God bless you Dawn for all you help that you provide through your videos especially this video that is highly needed. bravo Dawn .
Thank you so much for this!!! I have a 2 year old and a baby on the way and this is so valuable for me to learn right now!!
I completely love this!!! I feel and have felt the same way! Thank you, Thank you and THANK YOU!!!
Dawn, please share Melanie's info with John Delony. He is so big on keeping phones and social media away from kids. I know he would love this conversation. Thank you for sharing this with us. It is so important!
Thank you, Dawn and Melanie. This is an important topic, for sure. I just ordered Melanie's book/curriculum for my 16 year old son.
This is amazing. THANK YOU DAWN for what you are sharing with the world.
Thank you thank you thank you, being a grandparent this is so eye opening. Wow!!
Dawn, thank you so much for having Screen Strong on your podcast. Such valuable information and their mission will improve the minds of our children. So helpful. Learning to say no to screens and hours outside! We will be having them at our Homeschool Conference. Thank you for sharing this and the influence you have with so many mommas. ❤
Thank you for this! This video is an answered prayer for us. 🙏🏻
This is not just true for children. Adults are spending inordinate amounts of time on their phones and screens, too. This can happen to us. Though I think the military is a super extreme reaction.
Maybe the military gave him purpose and a vision for his life. It works for some people
@@SweetnSassyMama2 worked for him. Less successful for those who die
I can understand why she felt desperate enough to call the recruiter, though maybe most people would try less dramatic actions first. She didn’t and couldn’t force him to join the army. Her son could have said no and continued as he was, but I think he recognized that something needed to change and seized the opportunity that was presented to him. Calling the recruiter isn’t like calling the police; the recruiter has no authority to take her son anywhere or impose anything on him.
@@MyFocusVaries do you know how many kids are dying from depression, drugs, & suicide? A whole lot. But yeah, I wouldn't want to join the military under this current administration.
Who's gonna protect the country? We need some people protecting us...
I just sent this to all of my kids with kids. I don’t want my grandchildren going through this.
I loved & appreciated the intro about not adding MORE guilt & shame on moms!!! Bc the struggle is real for moms already!! ❤😂😇 it’s really annoying & overwhelming that not only do we need to be careful about our children getting into drugs & alcohol, we also need to watch out for too many screens!! This world is just too much
Important conversation to have. Love from Indiana!
I needed this. Thanks.
Thank you. I am unable to message You but I Truly am forever grateful to You !
This is incredible information!!
Wow, so good. Thank you so much!
Wow....just loved this!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
This is so helpful, thank you so much for this conversation and the books we can use.
THANK YOU FOR THIS! 🤯
This was great. I have 4 kids 8 and under, we homeschool, and I have seen them become addicted to TH-cam, tablets and gaming on the computer. There were a lot of negative behaviors that would come out. We are not screen free, but I have outlawed those things in our house.
I am an outlaw
Loving this conversation!
I would say this information can also be attributed to the television as well but I haven’t heard anyone say it yet. Regardless, phenomenal information and so valuable to educate parents to not be ashamed to be different
This episode made me subscribe. It was sooooo good.
This was so helpful!
With summer coming I needed this reminder ! Mine are 7 and 9!
I have honest conversations with my son. We discuss that if something is free, you are what's for sale. Those ads you're watching? Your time was "sold". Being aware is important.
We also discuss that it's the job of the parents to keep their children safe, not to keep them happy. Because of our open conversations, he knows there's a potential for bad things on the other side of the screen. Open and honest conversations have been huge.
If you are considering a trampoline, I strongly recommend the Springfree Trampoline. Different design with highest of safety features.
After watching trampoline injury's I would personally never allow my children to have a trampoline.
Wow!!!!! This was fantastic!!!!
Thank you so much for this podcast. ♥️ it gave me motivation to change some things in our house again. I read the book from Arlene pellican too. It helped a lot. We have 3 children between 10 and 15 years old. It’s not easy to reduce screen time. It’s a daily struggle and at times so exhausting. We are living in a city in Germany and especially during school breaks it’s difficult to completely get rid of all the screens.
Let it kids play with there friends outside.
@@TylerSheasby-tk4vq 15 year old where I life do not play outside anymore..
I needed this and was convicted. Time for our family to correct corse.
I LOVEEEEEEEE THIS EPISODE!!! She knows her stuff Dawn! loved this so much 🩷🩷
I mean ur right, it only took a videogame addict to show her what's up. My brother always says he wish he could play more Pokemon on his ds.
Melanie- I feel this to my core! My oldest is 15 and he struggles with screen addiction. I continually feel like I am failing him. Thank you for this podcast Dawn and Melanie! We are going to do better...and know it will be a big struggle in the beginning. I am terrified of making this change, but I also know how bad it is. For some reason it is easier to limit screens from my girls, but I really struggle to limit my son's. Any idea why?? Thanks again for the insight!
Put parental controls on the pc, Microsoft family safety or bitdefender. Try to let him hang out with friends outside with limited supervision, this is one of the greatest ways to break from these addictions
@@TylerSheasby-tk4vq tryed it does not help he spends 5 to 6 hours a day on youtube or netflix.. tips.. he does like to stay home but only likes screens..
Thank you so much for this. I am interested process of eliminating screens. I am guilty of giving into my kids and them wanting the game systems and phones etc. I would find some quiet time but realizing when I witnessed my 6 year old completely melt down on the ground hands wailing and screaming I knew it was it!
I am now transitioning into one family movie at night with all of us. My choice as well as their input. So it don't feel like im completely taking it all away and they can ease into the transition better.
I want to ask of some slow paced movies, and shows.
I grew up in the 90s so full house and home improvement are good. As well as little bear or franklin.
Thank you for this podcast. Sohelpful in the season I'm in.
I kept a little pocket size dry erase kit with alphabet tracing cards in my purse. That and a little board book are what I’d pull out in waiting rooms with toddlers (and occasionally even sitting in church since I quit using the nursery/kids church). Yes to family movie night! I also made an “S-day” rule (screens only on S-days if they want to watch something). Homeschooling goes more smoothly when screens stay off during the week. This gives a “container” or boundary for when a show can be watched. “Make the boundary the bad guy,” right? 😉
I'm a 31yo child who needs to be rescued from digital overload...
Praying the Good Lord can help you overcome and find a meaningful life!!
With u there bro
because reading,cooking etc is soooo boring coming from a 45 year old child who needs to be rescued too :)
Can I ask why this book is so expensive on Amazon? Would love to buy it but 71$ for a paperback seems like a lot.
Unfortunately I feel the same way. I was going to purchase it but that’s pretty steep 😢
If it was up to me, I would get rid of all video games and tv, but my husband would never agree to that. :(
I agree
Wow! This might be the best yet! As a fifth grade teacher I can especially, wholeheartedly approve🥰🥰🥰
Yesssssssss
Wow, this was great, and I feel like it came into my life at the right time. Have you ever heard of the Tonies box? We got one for Christmas a couple of years ago, and it’s a great alternative to screens.
What is that?
It's crazy too how much these things like tablets and computers are used in public education... I know limits are set strongly for the younger kids ( ihave k, 1, 3 graders) but my jr high and high school students are on their chromebooks all the time for everything .. they don't even have hard books to study from. so hard to change this for them.
Not everyone wants to or can homeschool. The struggle is real
@@courtneymarie8728 agree, I don’t have the nerves to do all 6 of my school aged kiddos
@@mommamooreand no room for kids who can't read online, I have never been able to read a book online or on kindle or anything. I need the book in my hands. So glad this wasn't a thing when I was in school!!
I agree, everyone is on games during bible. Get rid of screens in school, and bro please just be aware teachers.
This was so informative!! Thank you Dawn and Melanie!!!!! I have a friend who's son is autistic and he loves video games and doesnt want to go outside and be active! But change is very hard for him. Do you give tips for the way he learns too?
at home without screens is so hard.. I have a 17 year old and his screen time is 5 to 6 hours a day and he only has a tablet... he wants a ps5 because his friends have them.. what to do that isn't screens is hard and reading, cooking doesn't work.. any tips from anyone?
My husband had a long time customer at his store whose nephew un-alived his parents - all because they asked him to take out the trash and make kool-aid. All he ever did was play video games with a friend. His friend said he would help him do the deed. They left the house after and drove down the freeway - decided (for whatever reason) to turn around and go home. They were arrested on the way home. He didn't understand why he was being arrested. He said to his Aunt, "On the video games everyone comes back to life."
I would love advice that can be geared towards families that can’t afford to have their kids do sports or instrument education. I’m sure we can look it up ourselves but to be supported in that would be helpful
I didn’t get a smart phone till I was out of college and so I do remember the times where we didn’t have that but rather we watched movies or tv at home but spent more time outside. I honestly feel like screen use as been at an all time high since the pandemic I feel like I’m trying to reverse those years I spent feeling so exhausted as a mom and needed that break from life and my kids were entertained by tv. It’s hard because like everything new we feel like we are constantly being told how bad things are for our kids or us but in reality I feel like every generation has that I remember my grandparents being against microwaves 😂 I guess at the end of the day I agree with this but also struggle with this extreme too trying to find the balance and not live black and white can be hard.
Yeah, I really think it’s about balance & knowing if addiction runs in the family, maybe you need to be extra careful to make sure the kids have real life hobbies & interests. It’s so hard sometimes being a mom dealing with all the guilt & fatigue
Soooo good! Screen 💪
Ah, but you fail to recognize a very key aspect of this:
Your approach has to be MUCH different when you're dealing with a scientifically-proven genetically-caused chronic dopamine deficit. What I want to know: How many of these kids have ADHD and/or autism? Screen "addiction" happens for many of them for a very different reason than what you guys are discussing, and trying to pull them away from them is hard for a very different reason than what you're discussing.
Even if it's something I genuinely want to watch, if it's not fast-paced, I have to speed it up or else I get bored out of my mind precisely because of that dopamine deficit (I hated "Little House on the Prairie" when I was young because it was so insanely slow) - if it's not fast enough and I can't speed it up, I don't even bother trying to watch it - and that has been true my entire life, and I'm someone who grew up with dial-up internet, books on tape, no cell phones, and no video games, so screen time definitely did NOT make me this way: it's 100% genetic.
That’s a good point too. Just because you watch TV or play games it doesn’t mean you will get ADD/ADHD. It could’ve been there the whole time if you are diagnosed with it.
Precisely! And even if you aren't diagnosed with it until later, if it's true ADHD, it was still there the entire time! I wasn't diagnosed until 12th grade, but it was still there my entire life. I'll have to look up this "acquired ADHD" thing, because that sounds like total BS to me - you can't "acquire" ADHD: you either have it or you don't, and it doesn't go away.
Love this❤️❤️
I’m in desperate need of what to entertain my only child with now that he is about 10 and outgoing toys would love a video on that!
I found that 1. removing internet connection from devices and 2. being sure to start the day without screens makes a good difference for us. But need to to more...
Thank you for having her on! I’ll be sending this to my sisters and showing my daughter. It makes so much sense that gaming, social media, and porn are the three addictive screen usages. What an important message! Thank you again! 💕
I think it boils down to undisciplined kids and or uncontrolled access to screens. You can reasonably watch movies, TV, and play games together. I think doing these things together is great, I noticed kids have more fun when I play with them. Sometimes they don’t want to play unless I am with them.
Social media is different because a parent isn’t constantly watching over their shoulder while they use it. I think it’s good to wait until they are older teens before allowing them to use it.
Teach them basic etiquette. Be careful what you post online, anyone can look at that, if it’s online it’s forever, creepy people are out there, people lie about who they are, people can manipulate you to get something from you, snake oil salesmen, body image talks, all sorts of things.
I listen on Apple podcast but I’m here to beg for you to have Gunn Yurich from 1,000 Hours Outside on here!!!! 🙏🙏🙏
What to do about this: You don’t have the video games and limited screen time, but when they go to friends/family/neighbors homes all they want to do is get on those addictive devices the whole time.
If the other people are willing, ask them to limit it. My nieces and nephews love playing games with us. Not as much without us. My SIL asks us to limit it and make the kids “earn” some screen time by doing chores. They fold laundry, help us dust, help us cook, etc. They sometimes do more than we ask because they get into a cleaning mode. I’m all for it as an auntie.
If it’s really unbalanced, you might need to limit their time spent at certain people’s houses. It can suck but if the people taking care of your kids step on your boundaries, it’s OK to limit. Assuming your boundaries are reasonable.
Wow!! Basic Training. Lucky for you. What about the rest of us who don't have that option?
I have a 5, 3, 1 yr old and now a newborn. We are actively working on detoxing from screens and incorporating more free play outside. We realized that it's so much easier to not have screens on at all then to deal with the meltdowns of the screens being turned off.
Stolen focus is a good book on the effects of screens on both adults and children.
The Plant Earth series are our family movies.
If you want to follow the pediatric association guidelines, don't choose a trampoline as a play structure. They recommend against them. Kids don't need major structures to keep them occupied.
This was so informative!❤
This was sooo good! I learned so much. No kids here but really an excellent resource to share!!
I’m wondering how do I implement this “detox” w/how much the schools use screen and games in the classroom. It’s not SpongeBob & Fortnight but there is a lot of screen time in school😢😢😢😤😤😤🤯🤯
Mr Roger's Neighborhood was purposely designed to be slow.
I need to try and detox my 6 year old from screens! Its so hard, he loves playing mario and Minecraft and I can already see how addicting it can be for him 😔
As a young adult who grew up with screens, I relate to Adam's story. But my job and school are online so I have to use screens daily. What can I do since I can't do a full detox?
My thought is what you’re doing is real life and with purpose. It’s out of necessity. Others screen use is not real life and utterly meaningless.
I get that, but it’s not necessarily the screen sucking you in. It’s the easy access to fun things in an instant. Many of us work with screens in offices but that doesn’t become addictive.
It’s like palatable foods. Some foods taste so good you want more. Some foods you eat and don’t feel strong urges to eat again. Over use of social media/games is like eating too much cake. Using screens for school or work is eating broccoli. It’s not a perfect comparison, but do you get my point?
Hi Dawn! I hope you listen to Ghostrunners Podcast! Nothing to do with ghosts. Just hilarious, clean, uplifting content!
A good resource on the science is "Reset your child's brain" by Dr Victoria Dunckley. BUT ALSO, as with other comments, the approach needs to be very different for neurodivergent people. Strict cold turkey can be very traumatizing for some.
Also, please don't replace screen rewards with sugar rewards. Sugar addiction is a real thing like any other addiction, it's just our most socially sanctioned one.
Does your book work for kids with HFA? The addiction to gaming is so real! I’ve been searching for ways to get rid of Roblox. This is a game that they played at school. I was told it was a learning game. So I really didn’t watch him play for the first few months of him being on it. I now see that it has nothing to do with learning! I’m not even sure why they introduced it at school. Cold turkey sounds like it could be traumatizing to a child on the spectrum. I am desperate for help with us! Please let me know if you have any tips or tricks. If you feel this book will help, I am open to purchasing it. But I do not want to spend that much money on something that would only be beneficial to a neurotypical child.
Im a 16 yr old and I recently got my gab phone taken away If you know what that is.that sucked but My mom took away my pc which was my only connection with my friends outside of school, and she told me to listen to this. Personally I feel like I'm not addicted to videogames cuz I like rockclimbing, and going outside and backpacking. Anyone's gonna choose videogames over alot of things. but I feel like being an addict is pretty fake because that takes alot of ignorance from the parents, thats only what I see. Just please don't be too controlling because it has truly ruined my child hood. Thanks
hope your days get better soon and that you do not feel that your childhood is ruined I am sorry that all your friends connect with the pc.. that must be hard..