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Child Mind
Institute Director of Programs David Anderson, PhD
Panel discussion spotlights the ways
technology is changing family communication
New York, NY,
May 18, 2016 – The
Child Mind Institute hosted its 2017 Spring Luncheon on Tuesday,
featuring a panel discussion about the changing role technology
is playing in families and specifically how it alters
communication. The
event was moderated by Ali Wentworth and featured Catherine
Steiner-Adair, EdD, author of The
Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in
the Digital Age and
clinical psychologist and research associate at Harvard Medical
School; and David Anderson, PhD, clinical
psychologist and Senior Director, ADHD and Disruptive Behavior
Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute
In introducing the program, Child Mind Institute
President Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz said, “Our research program is
expanding our knowledge of child and adolescent mental health
disorders and breaking down barriers so we can have better
treatments now, not ten years from now. Our clinicians are at
the cutting-edge of their fields. Anyone who has brought a child
to the Child Mind Institute knows that this is their calling.
Since opening, we’ve seen 6,800 patients from 38 nations, 45
states and the District of Columbia, and we don’t turn anyone
away for their family’s inability to pay.”
Technology is transforming the way we communicate
with friends, colleagues and even with our own families. Screens
now affect everything from the way our toddlers learn and
develop to the way our teenagers connect with their peers,
parents and the world.
“I think we are
psychologically dependent on our phones at this point…we have a
condition that resembles an addictive relationship to
technology,” said Dr. Steiner-Adair. She noted that “we lose
empathy” when we are texting, and that kids take risks and trust
people who they should not trust on social media. “We are
different when we are on these devices.” Dr. Steiner-Adair
advised parents that “it’s important to learn to self-regulate”
their own use of devices at home. “The way we behave sets the
norms for them.” And, perhaps most importantly, they should
avoid allowing their kids play on devices at the dinner table.
“Kids learn empathy at dinner,” added Dr. Steiner-Adair.
Panelists discussed how to reap the benefits of
technology while reducing the risks it poses to children at each
stage of development. Dr. Anderson suggested several parenting
strategies and talked about the impact of technology on children
with emotional and behavioral challenges.
It’s critical for parents to have discussions
with their kids about the influx of information they are
consuming, according to Dr. Anderson. “Talk to kids about what
they’re seeing on Instagram, what they’re seeing on YouTube,
watch their shows with them, play their video games with them,
and really talk about the themes that are coming up,” said Dr.
Anderson. “Ask questions that get to good discussions.”
The luncheon was co-chaired by members of the
Child Mind Institute Board of Directors, Christine Mack, Valerie
Mnuchin, Debra Perelman and Zibby Schwarzman and the host
committee included Roxanne Bok, Ellen Cohen, Desiree Gruber,
Tania Higgins, Eve and Ross Jaffe, Tammy Levine, Julie Minskoff,
Eileen Riano and Sara Weiner.
The event was a part
of the Child Mind Institute’s Speak Up for Kids campaign held
each May to promote children’s mental health. The campaign
this year also expanded with the launch of the organization’s
first ever #MyYoungerSelf social media initiative which has
brought together over three dozen actors, professional athletes,
fashion designers, authors, politicians, advocates and other
influencers to share personal videos about the advice they would
give their younger selves on how to persevere over a mental
health or learning disorder. These empowering messages help to
eradicate stigma and show children struggling that there is a
brighter future ahead.
About the
Child Mind Institute
The Child
Mind Institute is
an independent national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the
lives of children and families struggling with mental health and
learning disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the
highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing
brain, and empower parents, professionals and policymakers with
resources to support children when and where they need it most.
Together with our supporters, we’re helping children reach their
full potential in school and in life. We share all of our
resources freely and do not accept any funding from the
pharmaceutical industry. Learn more at childmind.org.
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