Jeff Yalden
Too much screen time can hurt your child’s mental health.
It’s not unusual to see little kids with smartphones or tablets. If you went to the grocery store right now, you might see a toddler sitting in a shopping cart, scrolling through an iPhone while a parent is busy shopping. It’s the new normal.
As technology has progressed, parents have let their kids have access to devices at younger and younger ages. By 2012, roughly 50 percent of our youth had access to a smartphone. By 2015, that number was close to 73 percent. In 2018, according to Pew Research Center, 95 percent of our youth in America have access to smartphones and the features that come with them – the Internet, social media platforms, YouTube, group texting and the like.
WHY NOT JUST TALK?
Jeff realized that this ability to instantaneously access information was going to be an issue a few years ago when his daughter texted him a question. Yes, texting is a useful way to communicate, and there’s nothing wrong with that – but she was sitting a couple of feet away from him.
When he asked her why she just didn’t ask the question the old-fashioned way, she told him is was easier for her to text. Really?
The smartphone has become so ubiquitous that it is difficult to imagine what we ever did before its arrival. If used responsibly, it can make our lives easier in so many ways. But if we don’t monitor usage by our teens or teach them balance and boundaries, this device can adversely impact their lives and put them at risk.
Research shows that teens’ over-dependence on their smartphones and other devices affects their mental and physical well-being.
According to US News and World Report, too much online time has been linked to mental and physical problems such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, sleep deprivation and obesity. Findings published in the journal Emotion showed adolescent self-esteem, life satisfaction and happiness decreased the more hours teens spent per week on their devices.
SCREEN TIME AND TEEN SUICIDE
More alarming still is what researchers from San Diego State University and Florida State University discovered: Roughly 50 percent of teens who spent five or more hours at a screen each day reported experiencing thoughts of suicide and experienced prolonged periods of hopelessness or sadness in comparison to those who did not spend as much time online.
Add to this the obesity risk because many kids are staying indoors without getting out for some exercise – and the sleep deprivation factor because they are falling short of the recommended eight to 10 hours for teens.
Many sleep experts recommend shutting off devices an hour or two before bed. When it comes to your teens – good luck with that.
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?
Right now, the research is too unsubstantiated to give us a clear-cut answer about how much online time is too much – but one thing is certain: As parents, we need to use our best judgment. If you think your child is spending too much time online, you’re probably right. Establish boundaries and hold them accountable.
Try having your kids keep a daily and weekly log of their screen time, including the apps used and the purpose for the online time. This will also serve as a lesson in time management – and they can see where to cut back.
Family time is important. Make it a rule that no devices should be used at mealtimes – and nobody should be looking at their phones when their undivided attention is required. That’s just rude.
Obviously – no devices while driving.
Set clear priorities and make sure your teen knows that it’s all about responsibilities and obligations before rights and privileges. Reward them for a job well done – and practice what you preach.
For some kids, the smartphone has become more important than real-life interaction with their peers. Smartphone interaction raises the dopamine levels of the user, resulting in a euphoric state. This “dopamine effect” says “I want more…I want more…I want more.”
Simply put, too much screen time hurts your child’s mental health. An increase in real-life social interaction benefits their mental health. Real-world interaction helps your child to develop coping and problem-solving skills and the ability to communicate properly.
Interacting with others is important to your child’s self-esteem.
Proper smartphone use by teens and children is a parent’s responsibility. The devices belong to you. If your child can’t learn to use a device responsibility, then it’s time for you to step in.
Above content is Part four in a series based on Jeff’s new book, Teen Suicide: The “Why” Behind America’s Suicide Epidemic. Click link to order now. CLICK HERE for Jeff’s online suicide prevention course. To book Jeff for your school or event, call 800-948-9289
In his more than 25 years working with young people and school communities, he said he has met many awesome teachers, administrators, coaches and counselors, but he cited then-interim and now permanent 
He said he also loved to see how committed the staff members were to the welfare and well-being of the kids.
First, Yalden spent two hours with roughly 250 high school students.
From conversations with the young man’s friends, it became apparent that he told some of them what he intended to do, but the feeling was that he would not go through with it.
“And so here we are – talking about a young man who told people, and followed through,” he said.
We have to take all signs seriously, according to Yalden.
“Don’t put yourself in the position where you are going to make that decision whether [or not] they are just saying it. No. Young people are probably the most important people in saving one of their peer’s lives – whether it’s direct verbal clues, indirect verbal clues, behavioral clues or situational clues. You are the ones that hear about it first.”
Remember: 
And blaming this event on the sedative 
“Mental illness does not give a person a free pass for bad behavior, and I speak for all of us that live every day with mental illnesses. The same is said for people that suffer daily because of racism.”
Yalden cited a 2012 interview with 
Yalden said that leads to a persistent form of depression called dysthymia, which could lead to the desire for suicide.
“Teens need relationships. They need trusted adults that are patient, giving of their time, understanding, supportive, and love them unconditionally,” he said, adding that it is imperative that we teach them coping skills and problem-solving skills and instill in them the importance of balance and boundaries, especially when it comes to social media, the Internet and YouTube.
Too much exposure to social media, as Yalden explains in this video, can also cause depression and other mental health issues in our teens.
Mental illness threatens to become the biggest public health crisis in America, and this is no longer a family issue, according to Yalden. This is an economic issue.
He said that mental illness and depression factor into 90 percent of suicides – and many suicides are preceded by factors that we don’t even notice.
“Why should we notice it when we weren’t even looking for it,” he said. “The individuals that are on the schools’ radars aren’t necessarily the ones we need to look out for. A lot of school communities have said to me, ‘Jeff, we didn’t even know there was a problem. There were no signs. This is the last person we would have suspected.’”
As a man who proudly lives with mental illness every day, Yalden is all about crushing the stigma attached to it.
“It’s OK to ask for help!”
Yalden can’t overemphasize the importance of a healthy self-esteem.
“I promise – on the other side of fear is self-esteem. Don’t let anyone take that from you. You have to do the work, though,” he said.
He said that this very sad time affects us all – and this is a time that will shape us.
“This will either expose wounds or build muscles. It’s your choice how you respond. Allow yourself to grieve on your terms. I am so sorry and thinking of you all,” he said.
For more information, go 
To the flight attendant’s credit, maybe she took to heart what Jeff said in his first encounter with her – that he was all set. She offered him a chocolate chip cookie when the flight was about to land, but he politely declined.
“Getting off the plane, she was like, ‘have a great day, sir.’”
Let it go.
“Don’t compare one situation to another situation,” he said. “Don’t compare your life to someone else’s life. I think sometimes when we do that, we raise our anxiety and stress us out more than we need to.
If you haven’t heard from someone for a couple of hours, it’s no big deal.
“We are all busy. We are all trying to work hard – but if you think that maybe you have hurt someone’s feelings – ask them.”
More times than not, you will come to know that it’s not about you.
To listen to this episode of The BOOM Podcast, go 
Find what you are grateful for, and this can serve as a roadmap to fulfillment.
Jeff shares a couple of examples of this in his life where his purpose is bigger than himself.
“Carolina Forest High School here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, had a student make that forever decision about a week ago. I sent a message to the school and I offered my prayers and thoughts. I said I was sorry, and if there was anything I could do, please let me know.”
Because he reached out, Jeff was able to do presentation at the school.
“I feel very fulfilled in my heart that I got to do that,” he said.
He also recently spent two days in 
The point is this:
‘I know you’re busy. I’m busy too. I know we’re grinding so hard every single day and that sometimes we need stop and be present.”
Jeff recalled a similar moment when a young man bought one of his books after a school presentation a while back.
“Apparently, I didn’t acknowledge him – and I remember getting an email from him, just blasting me. I reached out to the school and to the advisor of this young student. I tried to do everything I could. I sent books, t-shirts, posters, pictures. That young man wanted nothing to do with me because of that one moment.”
According to Jeff, sometimes that first impression is a lasting impression.
Always remember that a little kindness and common courtesy go a long way.
“My moment of gratitude today is recognizing that it’s the little things every single day.”
Find out why Jeff Yalden is North America’s Number One Youth Motivational Speaker. Go 
