Screen Time And The Developing Brain

Screens are woven into childhood now, but that doesn’t mean we have to accept constant fights, late-night scrolling, or kids who can’t disengage. We sit down with Dr. Peter Montminy to unpack what’s really happening inside the developing brain and why technology can feel so irresistible for kids, teens, and adults alike.

We talk about brain development into the mid-20s, how neuroplasticity strengthens the circuits we use most, and why the reward system is such a big part of the screen time story. Notifications, likes, and fast-paced content deliver quick dopamine hits, and many platforms are intentionally designed to keep us clicking. From there, we get specific about the real-world effects families notice: sleep disruption and poor sleep hygiene, reduced attention and focus, fewer face-to-face moments that build social and emotional skills, and less physical movement that supports mental health and resilience.

You’ll also hear a balanced take on the benefits of technology: learning, creativity, problem solving, and connection. The goal isn’t to eliminate devices, it’s to build a healthier relationship with them through mindful technology use. We share practical tools you can start today: a “social diet” approach to balance, clear boundaries like screen-free zones and device-free meals, awareness questions that help kids notice how online time affects their mood, and digital resilience strategies including breaks, timers, and parental controls. 

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If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 for immediate support. 

This podcast is brought to you by Jana Marie Foundation and A Mindful Village. 

Jana Marie Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in State College, Pennsylvania which harnesses the power of creative expression and dialogue to spark conversations build connections, and promote mental health and wellbeing among young people and their communities. Learn more at Jana Marie Foundation.

A Mindful Village is Dr. Peter Montminy's private consulting practice dedicated to improving the mental health of kids and their caregivers. Learn more at A Mindful Village | Holistic Mental Health Care for Kids.

Music created by Ken Baxter. 

(c) 2025. Jana Marie Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

This podcast was developed in part under a grant number SM090046 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA, HHS or the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

Transcript

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 0:15

Hello and welcome to Ripples of Resilience, a podcast from the Jana Marie Foundation, where we explore ideas, tools, and conversations that support mental health, resilience, and well-being for young people and the adults who care about them. I'm your host, Marisa Vicere, and today we're diving into a topic that's part of everyday life for kids, teens, and adults alike. Technology and screen use. From smartphones and social media to gaming and streaming, screens are woven into how we learn, communicate, and relax. But many parents, caregivers, and educators are asking important questions like, how does screen time affect the developing brain? And what does healthy technology use look like? To help us explore these questions, I'm joined by our resident expert from A Mindful Village, Dr. Peter Montminy. Dr. Montmini, thank you so much for being here today.

Speaker 1 1:13

Yeah, thanks, Marissa. This is such an important conversation because technology itself isn't inherently good or bad. It's when, where, and how we use it that makes a big difference, especially for those developing brains, as you mentioned.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 1:28

So let's start right there with the brain. We often hear that children's brains are still developing. Can you explain what that means and why it matters when we think about screen use?

Dopamine Rewards And Screen Addiction

Dr. Peter Montminy 1:39

Yeah, absolutely. The human brain develops over a long period of time, continuing into the mid-20s at least. During childhood and adolescence, the brain is constantly forming and strengthening new connections and pre pruning and letting go of other connections that maybe aren't as useful or needed. And it does that based on its experiences. The brain changes structure and function in response to lived experiences. It's constantly changing. So that's why it's so important. What's the early dosage of what type of screens and how much are kids getting? Because it's especially influencing that molding, developing, shaping brain right now. And different parts of the brain, as we've kind of talked about before as well, develop at different rates. For example, the areas and lower areas of the brain, the emotional areas of the brain, the limbic system that are involved in emotion and reward develop earlier, while the upper parts of the brain, especially the frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for planning, impulse control, decision making, these things we need to make wise choices in dealing with the world, they develop later and come on later. So technology interacts with this developing brain system and our nervous system in interesting ways, especially since the digital games and social media and platforms that kids and adults are often on are specifically designed to grab our attention emotionally, hook us in, and keep us going with quick bursts of reward, quick dopamine hits to us that make it very appealing to those more emotional brains that don't have the cognitive controls yet in place, is what we're saying, right? And that are naturally drawn to novelty and stimulation. It's a perfect storm of kids are more vulnerable and interested in novelty, stimulation, emotional stuff. And this technology media is literally programmed to suck you in in that way. So they're particularly vulnerable to it, is why we have to be more careful about it.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 3:42

Yeah, and that really helps explain why it's so hard for kids or even adults to put devices down. Many digital experiences tap right into the brain's reward system, which involves chemicals like dopamine, as you were saying. And so when we receive notifications, likes, points in games, or new content, the brain experiences a small reward signal. And that signal really encourages us to repeat that behavior.

Dr. Peter Montminy 4:10

And that last part is the danger, right? In moderation, that's not necessarily harmful. But when screen use becomes very frequent or replaces other important experiences, it can begin to affect things like attention, sleep, physical activity, social interactions. It keeps feeding that hunger for that immediate dopamine hit. And if we're dosing on it too much, as we've talked about before, neuroplasticity, the parts of your brain you use more often, the parts of the brain circuits you light up more frequently and get bigger, stronger, and faster. So if we keep hitting on that reward pleasure part of the brain in the way these things are designed, we're going to light up and literally get be moving towards addiction, whether with a capital A or a small A, it's a real thing as much as alcohol or other substances that are pushing on those same reward centers of the brain. So we have to be really careful about that. When I'm working with kids who, you know, don't want to hear about limits on their screens, I say to them, I say, Hey, is it okay to have a cupcake after dinner? Is it okay to have a cupcake for dessert? Well, like, you know, first of all, you look at me like, why are you bringing up cupcakes? But stay with me. Right. I go, well, yeah, I guess it's okay to have a cupcake, right? Yeah, it's no big harm. No, there's no harm. You know, you have a balanced diet, you eat different healthy foods, and you have a little sweet for dessert, fine. But what if you ate nothing but cupcakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? What if you had 12 cupcakes a day? Would you have a cupcake problem? And even the most skeptical teen or kid will look at me and go, well, yeah, I guess you'd have a cupcake problem. I said, You have a cupcake problem with your screens.

Speaker 3 5:46

Yeah.

Dr. Peter Montminy 5:47

It's dosage, right? And and the challenge is how do you really set those limits and follow through, which we'll play with some more today.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 5:55

Yeah, and those are never easy conversations to have.

Dr. Peter Montminy 5:58

Nope.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 5:59

Before we fully dive into that, can you talk a little bit more about some of the developmental areas that are influenced by screen time?

Dr. Peter Montminy 6:06

Yeah, some of the biggies, right? Big areas that researchers often talk about. First up is sleep, the very basic, you know, need for regeneration and repair of our nervous system every day. And the blue light from screens, the stimulation from digital content make it much harder for the brain to wind down at night, which can interfere with healthy sleep patterns. And that's a real thing to mental health or functioning, to building resilience in any way, right? So the idea of having an hour at least or more a gap between turning off screens and going to bed is actually a really important mental hygiene, sleep hygiene thing to be looking at. A second area is attention and focus. When the brain gets used to fast-paced digital input, it can sometimes make slower activities like reading, studying, or sustained problem solving feel more challenging. Because again, you're not working out those brain circuits, those muscles, and they get rusty, and then it's harder to do it. And we can start a downward spiral there, right? In terms of attention problems and focusing problems, sustaining effort problems. Yeah. The other area, third area, is social and emotional development. Kids learn a lot about communication, empathy, and relationships through face-to-face interactions. And unfortunately, those real world experiences are fewer and further between. Those real-world experiences that help build important social skills aren't happening if proportionately we're dealing with the world and our relationships online. We need to, again, find that balance. And finally, there's physical health, plain and simple. Time spent on screens replaces movement, outdoor play, or other activities that support overall physical as well as mental health. So those are the big areas we really want to be concerned about here.

The Upside Of Thoughtful Tech Use

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 7:59

Yeah, and that's so much of our children's development. And as we talked about, this is really hard to balance because we know that it can have these negative impacts in the children's development, but we also know that technology is a powerful tool and that there are some useful benefits to using the different technology platforms. So, what are some of those benefits when we use that technology thoughtfully?

Dr. Peter Montminy 8:27

Absolutely. Technology can be an incredible tool for learning, creativity, connection, and problem solving. So much is at our fingertips about learning about the world. So it's really about, and kids can explore that educational content, collaborate with peers, express themselves through great avenues of digital creativity, and they can stay connected with friends and family. We know there are plenty of positive uses for our screens and our digital technology. So the goal isn't to eliminate it, it's about helping young people develop those healthy habits and a balanced relationship with it. I talk a lot about how to help kids and parents, all of us really, be in conscious relationship with machines. Right? To literally be you can do anything mindfully or mindlessly. What's the difference between mindlessly scrolling through your phone and getting lost in it for minutes to hours, or mindfully checking in on some things you're interested in on your phone? The difference is that you know you're doing it, you're conscious and aware that I'm choosing to have 20 minutes of playing a game that's fun for me, and I'm putting it down. I'm choosing to look this thing up. I'm choosing to connect with, you know, of a friend right now, and I'm doing it purposefully with intention in a way that I can better then regulate it. Without that, we mindlessly react, get sucked in, and that's when we start going down the drain.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 9:59

I love that. And that's something I know I've I've tried to be more intentional about, and even voicing it of I'm picking up my phone to use it as a tool right now. I need to look up something. Or I'm picking up my phone right now to use it for entertainment. I, you know, I need a mind break, and so I'm gonna scroll or do whatever.

Dr. Peter Montminy 10:16

Absolutely.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 10:17

And just trying to use that vocabulary too to help set that model for for my child as well.

Dr. Peter Montminy 10:24

Yeah, good.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 10:25

You know, this is constantly a battle in my household around screens, as I'm sure it is for so many others.

Dr. Peter Montminy 10:32

Yes.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 10:32

So, what do healthy limits around technology look like, and how do we really set our kids up for success when it comes to all of the different screens that they now have access to?

Dr. Peter Montminy 10:43

Yeah, yeah. So we want to think about balance, boundaries, and awareness. Let's let's really focus on those three things as we leave here today. Balance means making sure screen time doesn't crowd out other important parts of life, like sleep, we've mentioned physical activity, schoolwork, hobbies, and face-to-face relationships. So, again, to help families do that, I talk about picturing the social diet. Just like we have, you know, the food pyramid or the food plate and different versions over time of having a balanced nutritional diet physically for what we eat. We want to think about a pie chart of what's our balanced social diet. There's time to be online, there's time to be offline, there's time to be out engaging in physical activity, and there's time to have passive quiet activity. There's time to be socially engaged with family or friends, and there's time to have alone time and downtime. So those are a few of the basic dimensions we often think about when we look at this social diet pie chart. So we want to just think about where does screen time fit within a greater social balance diet, yeah?

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 11:51

Yeah, that makes sense.

Dr. Peter Montminy 11:52

So that's one. To be able to do that, you're gonna have to enforce boundaries. And we remember limit setting is empathic. Kids need our guardrails precisely because it's sucked in and hard for them to control the impulses. Remember, it's designed to suck you in, and their cognitive control brains aren't fully developed yet. They need us to put those guardrails up. So we want boundaries, and we can do that best by creating predictable routines. For example, many benef families benefit from uh having screen-free zones, times and places designated as no screen time, plain and simple. And you just integrate this into your daily life. Device-free meals, screen-free bedrooms, technology breaks before bedtime, consciously choosing how we're in relationship with our machines by establishing those boundaries and limits in a realistic, practical way for your family and your kid. Yeah. And then, third, which really is kind of the prerequisite to all of this, as we've already mentioned, is awareness about helping kids become more mindful users of their technology. And you can do that by offering prompts or questions regularly, like, hey, how does this make you feel? What do you notice about how you're feeling as you get off this thing today, or as you're on it maybe for too long? What do you notice about if this is helping you learn or relax, or if you notice you're just feeling more stressed or distracted, or maybe just kind of exhausted? So just increasing regular little conversations that increase awareness to make healthier choices.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 13:25

Absolutely. So I have to bring it up. Something I hear for often from my kids is how can my mom, dad, family member, whoever you want to put in there, tell me that I can't use my phone when they are constantly on their devices.

Dr. Peter Montminy 13:42

As we know, our kids pay much more attention to what we do than what we say. And so, guess what? We gotta practice what we're preaching here, or it's sure not gonna land with any integrity or consistency, right? So absolutely, kids learn by observing adults around them. We need to be modeling those healthy behaviors. So just checking in, what is my usage? When am I picking up my phone mindfully or mindlessly? When am I aware that this is an opportunity to engage with my kid versus, oh, I'm on my phone and I'm not paying attention to what's going on with my kid. What am I noticing about how much I'm modeling that and just work together, work together on, again, healthy habits. That's all.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 14:27

Perfect. So another piece of the puzzle is helping kids build what we might call digital resilience. Technology isn't going away. So one of our goals should be helping young people develop the skills to navigate it thoughtfully. A lot of times we get asked, am I starting this too late, especially if I have a teenager, or how do I integrate this now that they already have these devices? So, you know, what are your thoughts to that? And also, how do you think kids can build that digital resilience no matter their age?

Dr. Peter Montminy 14:58

Yeah, yeah. Never too late. Always start where you are. Start where you are. So, whatever age, you know, you if your kids already been on devices for a while and you're starting fresh, sit down with your kiddo and frame. Here's what we're gonna do, here's why we're gonna start fresh and start shifting our relationship to just have healthier lifestyles, right? And you can do that at any age. Now, clearly, the earlier you start, the better and easier. So this particularly is helpful for starting out with kids and on their devices or on your devices. And the a few basics that we want to do, whether again it's early in the game or later in the game with your kiddo, is re-establish the importance of taking breaks from screens. That's all. Define those screen-free zones and times, be clear and consistent with it, build it in and hold the line. Even when there's hell to pay, they're gonna melt down, they're gonna have a fit, they're gonna yup, and healthy boundaries. So we need to really support one another in doing that and building it in. But the other kids can be on it as much as they want to be. I'm the only one that doesn't have this or can't do that. Pause, breathe. That's parenting 101 since the beginning of time. Right now it's about screens, but kids always play that card. It doesn't mean it's true. And even if it is true, it doesn't mean you have to continue to parent your kid with unhealthy habits. So you can let your kid know, as I often say, sorry, you're stuck with me who cares enough to do the hard stuff, even when you're miserable and not liking it. I'm gonna set up these boundaries to help you be healthier in the long run. Come back later and thank me. Right? And I'm old enough that I can say that, that they will stay with it, they will. All right, so teaching those breaks from screens, being aware of how online experiences affect their emotion. Again, increasing that awareness. Hey, are you noticing if you're zoning out, are you noticing you're kind of tense, are you noticing you're exhausted? And just increase that emotional awareness connection to your screen habits. Practicing self-control and time management, use timers, use alarms and notifications, use external devices that help you and them remember and know what start and stop times. And that makes it a little less personal. So it's like not you doing it when the alarm goes off, or better yet, use those digital parental controls where there's a hard shutdown of the device or shutdown of access to certain things. Use those devices to set those control limits. And finally, really develop those strong offline relationships and activities. Okay, no, you can't be on your screen anymore. Well, you need to help them fill in. What can they do? And at again, especially if they're used to the fast-paced digital and not used to the other, it may not be as immediately rewarding or as immediately comfortable. So you're gonna have to, you know, scaffold and support social activities, art activities, other types of kind of endeavors that we can do and enjoy balancing things out. So really paying attention to when we're offline, what are we doing and how are we supporting our kids growing in to more offline activities?

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 18:14

Wonderful. And that's such a great time for that connection, whether it's within the family or getting them out to connect with others, which builds that safety net for them.

Key Takeaways And Share This Talk

Speaker 1 18:23

Absolutely. Yep.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 18:24

So technology is a powerful part of modern life, and it can offer incredible opportunities for learning, connection, and creativity. At the same time, understanding how screens interact with developing brains helps us make thoughtful choices about how and when we use them.

Dr. Peter Montminy 18:42

Yes, plain and simple. When families focus on balance, healthy limits, and open conversations about technology use and your feelings related to it, they can help young people build habits that support both mental health and resilience. Absolutely.

Marisa Vicere, Jana Marie Foundation 18:59

Excellent. Well, thank you, Dr. Montminy, for sharing your insights and thank you to everyone listening to Ripples of Resilience. This podcast is brought to you by Jana Marie Foundation, where we're dedicated to opening minds and saving lives through conversations that matter. And by A Mindful Village, where Dr. Peter Montminy provides holistic mental health care for kids and their caregivers. If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it with a friend, caregiver, or educator. Small conversations can create powerful ripples of resilience in our communities. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.