Wired for Distractions: Parent’s Overuse of Technology and its Impacts on Children

CEU’s are UNAVAILABLE for archived viewing.

Presenter: Dr. Barbara Craig

This webinar was available for a live event. Only those who have Department of Defense (DoD)/Defense Connect Online (DCO) access will be able to access a recording.

A 2-hour webinar on parent’s overuse of technology and its impact on children. The presentation will include a summary of advances in video gaming and electronic gadgets over the past few decades as well as the latest research regarding digital phone, PDA, and computer use worldwide. The prevalence of parental electronic distraction and how this can lead to neglecting or hurting their children will be addressed. Finally, a review of studies exploring how children viewing violence in various forms can lead to changes within the brain that manifest real life violence and loss of control will also be discussed.

Presenter Information

Dr. Barbara Craig (Captain, Medical Corps, United States Navy-Retired) is a board certified pediatrician in both general pediatrics and child abuse pediatrics. She is the senior medical consultant for child abuse and neglect in the Uniformed Services. Dr. Craig founded and directs the Armed Forces Center for Child Protection, the only child protection center and fully equipped medical consultative service in the military related to child maltreatment. Additionally, she serves as the medical representative on the Navy and Marine Corps Spouse and Child Death Review Teams and on the Navy Family Advocacy Headquarters Review Team. She is also the senior medical consultant for the Department of Defense Family Advocacy Command Assistance Team that mobilizes to investigate multiple victim child sexual abuse cases. She has extensive experience and training in the field of child physical and sexual abuse, child neglect, child fatalities, evaluating child exploitation, as well as pediatric and adolescent gynecology. Dr. Craig is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Craig serves as a consultant to social services, medical, legal, and investigative agencies within the Department of Defense and civilian community for cases of suspected child maltreatment.

This presentation is not endorsed by the Department of Defense and the information, as well as any opinions or views, contained herein are solely that of the presenter.

Event Materials

Wired for Distractions Webinar Handout

Webinar Resource List Handout

American Academy of Pediatrics (November 2009) Policy Statement – Media Violence. Pediatrics, 124(5), 1495-1503.

Giumetti, G.W. & Markey, P.M. (2007). Violent video games and anger as predictors of aggression. Journal of Research in Personality, 41(6), 1234-1243.

Uhlman, E. (2004). Exposure to violent video games increases automatic aggressiveness. Journal of Adolescence, 27(1), 41-52.

Anderson, C.A., Sakamoto, A., Gentile, D.A., Ihoris, N., Shibuya, A., Yukawa, S., Naito, M., & Kobayashi, K. (2008). Longitudinal Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression in Japan and the United States. Pediatrics, 122(5), 1067-1072.

Huessman, L.R. (2007). The Impact of Electronic Media Violence: Scientific Theory and Research. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(6), S6-S13.

Grusser, S.M., Thalemann, R., & Griffiths, M.D. (2007). Excessive Computer Game Playing: Evidence for Addiction and Aggression? CyberPsychology and Behavior, 10(2), 290-292.

Kim, E.J., Namkoong, K., Ku, T., & Kim, S.J. (2008). The Relationship between online game addiction and aggression, self-control and narcissistic personality traits. European Psychiatry, 23(3), 212-218.

Mathews, V.P., Kronenberger, W.G., Wang, Y., Lurito, J.T., Lowe, M.J., & Dunn, D. (2005). Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Aggressive and Nonaggressive Adolescents. Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, 29(3), 287-292.

van Eijnden, R. M., Spijkerman, R., Vermulst, A. A., van Rooij, T. J., & Engels, R. E. (2010). Compulsive internet use among adolescents: Bidirectional parent-child relationships. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38(1), 77-89. doi: 10.1007/s10802-0

MIT Initiative on Technology and Self

Stanford Medicine Blog: How technology can affect parent-child relationships