Former lawyer and bestselling author David Gillespie believes that teenagers overindulging in screen time can lead to depression, anxiety, and addictive tendencies. Gillespie describes that the influence typical addictions have on teens—smoking, drinking, drugs, etc.—are on the decline. Parents are now faced with a much more permeable addiction, screen time. Teens are now filling their brains with online video games and social media interactions, something that Gillespie believes can lead to a range of mental problems.
Emerging research shows that if addictive pathways are activated during the teen years, they are there for life. Gillespie warns that what starts as a screen addiction, can lead to substance abuse later in life.
