News Reel

How much screen time children should be allowed is an ongoing (and sometimes heated) discussion among parents, caregivers and medical professionals. The federal government and the National Institute of health launched a large study to look at the effects of screen time and the results are astounding. Read below for the results and an interview between Dr. Gaya Dowling and Anderson Cooper. If you, or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to technology call Tamara Ancona, MA, LPC at (678) [...]

The holidays are in full swing and brings with it wish lists, and often the desire for more screen time spent on newly received devices. Why are we as parents and educators afraid to tell kids "no" about this, and many other issues? This week Screenagers explored this very topic and how we can make setting a boundary a more effective, and positive situation. How to Say No Effectively There are so many reasons why for many youth screen [...]

With Thanksgiving upon us it's a great time to reflect on gratitude. Psychology Today recently published an article on seven benefits of gratitude, below. As you go throughout this week of giving thanks we wish you a most blessed and Happy Thanksgiving from TAG Counseling. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself," we are often told. And while it can be hard to avoid self-pity entirely, mentally strong people choose to exchange self-pity for gratitude. Whether you choose to write a few sentences in a gratitude [...]

Can teens get addicted to Fortnite? Fortnite is an online video game, released in 2017 by Epic Games, that has multiple playing modes. The most popular mode is the Fortnite Battle Royale, a game where up to 100 players battle to the death. After jumping out of a plane onto an island, a Fortnite player fights against 99 other players. The gruesome mission is to kill everyone until one winner remains. Although the cartoon-style gameplay is not realistic, the [...]

Do you find yourself arguing with your teens over screen time? The folks over at Screenagers recently published these three tips to help reduce conflict around screen time and make life with teens a little more peaceful. How to Optimize Parenting I find this statistic staggering: thirty percent of adults and the same percentage of youth report that they argue daily about screen time at home. That is millions of kids, teens, and parents fighting every single day about [...]

Everyone is on social media so it can't be that damaging...right? Several organizations, however are concerned about long term mental health ramifications. The NHS even released the following article about the possible damages and what they feel needs to be done on the part of Facebook and Instagram to help compensate. Facebook and Instagram should be forced to fund treatment of mental health problems because of the damage caused by social media, the head of the NHS has suggested. [...]

Marijuana use is a hot-button issue right now across the country. Some argue that the long term effects are minimal and are outweighed by the benefits. However, many medical professionals are not comfortable with it's distribution to the general public without strict regulations, particularly where youth could potentially have access to it. In "Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use" featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, they delve more deeply into the short and long term effects. The [...]

Is there a product to help combine screen time management as well as help parents manage kids' devices? It just so happens that there is! TechDen has created the first ever product that combines an app that parents use to manage screen time with a physical home that charges and stores kids’ phones and tablets. The Den takes an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to teaching kids healthy habits around device use, promoting a positive balance with [...]