Description
Addiction in the 21st Century: An exploration of excessive or otherwise non-complementary use of interactive screen-based technologies
Our screens are part of modern life. For most they are tools that facilitate work, school, socialization and provide some fun and entertainment. For others, use crosses the line becoming a cause or contributor to personal, family and community lack of wellness. Anxiety, depression, Learning Disabilities/ADHD, Gaming and Porn Addiction, Alterations in Socio-emotional and Cognitive Development in the young, Chronic Circadian Rhythm Disruption, Juvenile ED and Failure to Launch are just a few of the caveats of excess. With COVID pushing us further into our screens, awareness of negative effects has never been so important.
This presentation will separate the Science from the Hype, directly exploring causes and tangible boundaries of Addiction & Emergent Dysfunction facilitating differentiation between healthy Integrated use versus unhealthy Interfering use that can inform successful intervention.
LEARN to differentiate between healthy Integrated use of technology versus unhealthy interfering use that can inform successful interventions.
UNDERSTAND the effects of technology on the brain and developing persons.
RECOGNIZE the EEG signatures associated with excessive or otherwise non-complementary use of interactive screen-based technologies.
ABOUT MARI SWINGLE, PhD
Dr. Mari Swingle is a practicing therapist, clinical researcher, author and public speaker of international acclaim. She has delivered two TEDx talks, and multiple key notes around the globe. –Including Keynote for The Childhood Summit in Brisbane Australia, the Canadian Psychological Association, guest speaker at San Francisco State University, Adler & TWU, Children & Nature Network Conference (US & Canada), University of Aveiro (Portugal), Stockholm, Holland, BFE Venice and Rome (Italy), and numerous talks and workshops closer to home e.g., World Environmental Conference Vancouver, AAPB & ISNR, and many, many more. She also does very strong community and media outreach speaking often on TV and radio as well as at community events, parent and teacher associations, and presentations for the general public (e.g., NaturePlay Australia, Together for Charity Stockholm).
She holds a MA in Education, MA & PhD in Clinical Psych, and has been working in the field of Applied Psychoneurophysiology / Neurotherapy for 25 years. She is BCIA/EEG certified in Neurofeedback (2000), Associate Fellow 2005, Fellow 2010, Senior Fellow 2017. She was also named AAPB Fellow in 2020.
Specific to this talk, Dr. Mari Swingle wrote her doctoral dissertation on i-addiction in 2013 and in 2015 was awarded a Federation of Associations of Brain and Behavioural Sciences Foundation (FAABS) Early Career Impact Award for her ‘major research contributions to the sciences of mind, brain and behavior’. She is author of 2 books: i-Minds: How Cell Phones, Computers, Gaming and Social Media are Changing our Brains, Our Behaviour and the Evolution of our Species (2014/16) and i-Minds 2.0: How and Why Constant Connectivity is Changing Our Brains and What to Do About It (2019).
She lives and practices in Vancouver Canada. Pre-COVID she travelled extensively presenting her research on the ever-emergent effects of technology on the brain and developing person. drmariswingle.com
