Get Tickets NowThis event is in collaboration with How To: Academy.
In this masterclass, leading addiction psychologist Dr. Don Grant and therapist Mandy Saligari will help us understand and limit the often devastating impact of digital devices and social media on our children, families, and ourselves.
The 21st century “drug of choice” isn’t an illicit chemical: it’s digital technology.
Digital devices and social media were sold to us with the promise of enriching communication and intimate connection. But as these new technologies become ubiquitous in our daily lives, their dark side is impossible to ignore.
Teens struggling with device management report lower levels of self-esteem and suffer from more anxiety and depression; couples report lower levels of relationship and life satisfaction. Mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, suicide, addiction, poor memory, concentration and attention are reaching epidemic proportions, and increasingly, research is showing a correlation between these issues and our relationship with devices and social media.
These new technologies have changed our brain chemistry to prime us for addiction and increasingly take the place of real human contact, sleep and exercise. They can have a devastating impact on our mental health and brain development, and crucially, on that of our children and adolescents.
Psychologist Dr. Don Grant, one of the world’s top experts on technology and addiction, and Mandy Saligari, a leading expert in parenting and addiction, unpack the effects of our unhealthy relationship with devices and social media, and provide us with invaluable strategies and tools for healthier device management and good digital citizenship.
Whether you’re a concerned parent, mentor to members of the “iGeneration”, or simply fanatical about Facebook and keen to reclaim some headspace, don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear from two leading experts on the psychology of addictive technologies. Teenagers are also welcome.
Speakers:
Dr. Don Grant
Don is an internationally award-winning media psychologist and addiction specialist. He is the Executive Director of Resolutions Teen Center, an intensive teen outpatient treatment programme in Santa Monica, and founder and CEO of (un)BOOT CAMP, which assists teens, young adults and families struggling with device, social media, gaming and cyber pornography addiction.
Don is Co-Chairman of the American Psychological Association “Device Management Committee”, and has been commissioned by APA to write the only book on “Healthy Device Management & The Practice of Good Digital Citizenship” they plan to publish.
He regularly appears in the media sharing his expertise in the psychology of addiction and recovery, including appearances on The Daily Show and Fox News and in publications including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.
Don’s current research includes investigations of the potential effects of cyberbullying and cyberpornography on adolescents, and our culture/relationships-at-large.
Mandy Saligari
Mandy is an addiction, parenting and relationship expert.
From her outpatient clinic, Charter Harley Street, which she founded in 2008, Mandy specialises in working with individuals and families affected by broad-spectrum addiction and addictive behaviours.
Mandy is a regular contributor to PSHE programmes in schools across the country, presenting for teacher training and to students and parents on issues such as “Understanding Addiction”, “Today’s Teenager” and “Proactive Parenting”. Her programme ‘In Therapy’ for Ch5 has completed three series, and her first book, “Proactive Parenting”, which outlines her pioneering approach, was published this year by Orion Press and is an Amazon bestseller. Mandy is divorced and has 3 teenage children.