Screen Child-Saver™ Online Parenting Group From the Computer Addiction Treatment Program Helps Wean Children Off Screens

CDC reports 11-14 year old's spend 9 hours per day on screens for entertainment and US Surgeon General Advisory warns of the dangers of Social Media to youth

LAKE FOREST, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, August 21, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Computer Addiction Treatment Program (https://computeraddictiontreatment.com) has introduced a six session online group coaching program for parents of elementary, middle and high school students and young adults to help wean them off excess screen time. The program name, "Screen Child-Saver", pays homage to old school screen-savers shutting off screens when the computer was idle to save them from damage. Today, children are the ones that need to be saved from too much idle screen time.

Parents participate in six one-hour remote sessions of education and coaching support in a group setting with between-session home activities. Parent coaches are mental health professions providing parents with the resources to safely and effectively reduce the amount of time their children spend on screens. Groups are being offered based on the ages of the children being supported. Parent coaches are also trained in the use of Sentinel Gaming Systems computers, such as the StudyStation™ (https://sentinelgamingsystems.com), when parents find it difficult to maintain limits on existing devices.

“Excess screen time by youth has been associated with obesity, repetitive stress injuries, impaired social and emotional development, academic failure, behavioral problems, sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, addiction and even an elevated risk of suicidal thoughts and actions. Public health officials in the United States are finally calling the alarm and asking policymakers, researchers, technology companies, caregivers and even children to take action”, said Dr. Kenneth Woog, founder of the Computer Addiction Treatment Program and Sentinel Gaming Systems partner.

“Everything is now online for kids – school, home work, hobbies, play and connection with friends. It’s hard for parents, especially those working, to limit entertainment screen time and keep their children on task when they are using devices for schoolwork. Parents know their children are spending too much time on screens. But the myriad of devices, content and ever changing cultural norms have conspired to make the job of managing their children’s screen time very difficult. With the right education, support and tools, parents can teach their children how to manage their screen time. We can’t wait any longer to help our children”, said Dr. Woog.

The cost of the 6 week program is $450 ($75 per session) with special discounts on additional individual coaching and on the StudyStation™ computer from Sentinel Gaming Systems available to participants.

MEDIA CONTACT
Kenneth Woog, Psy.D. MBA
Computer Addiction Treatment Program
1-888-452-1869 ext. 6
kwoog@computeraddictiontreatment.com

About Computer Addiction Treatment Program

Computer Gaming Addiction Treatment Services was founded in 2008 and was renamed to the Computer Addiction Treatment Program in 2016. Today the program has both an outpatient office in Lake Forest and a brief adult inpatient facility in the mountains of Big Bear Lake, both in Southern California. The Computer Addiction Treatment Program also offers weekend intensive outpatient services for those visiting from out of the area or out of state. In addition, consultation and behavioral treatment support, via telehealth/videoconferencing is available to clients and their families nationwide.

About Sentinel Gaming Systems, LLC

Sentinel Gaming Systems is a manufacturer of Gaming computers for in-home behavioral treatment of videogame addiction for clients of the Computer Addiction Treatment Program. Hardware enforced use limits allow users to remain System Administrators yet allows the clinician to remotely manage and monitor treatment. The new low cost StudyStation supports the treatment of a wider range of screen addictions, allows patients to use their existing computer or PlayStation console and is the first Sentinel model to be made available for use by clinicians everywhere.

About Kenneth Woog, BSEEE, Psy.D. MBA

Dr. Kenneth Woog, a computer engineer turned clinical psychologist and educator has been treating videogame and media addiction for over two decades. Dr. Woog developed a behavioral treatment protocol (https://computeraddictiontreatment.com/resources-clinicians) using proprietary technology from Sentinel Gaming Systems to help assess and treat videogame and other media addictions. Dr. Woog teaches and speaks publicly on technology addiction and has appeared on national television and film documentaries.

Kenneth Woog, Psy.D., MBA
Computer Addiction Treatment Program
+1 888-452-1869 ext. 6
kwoog@computeraddictiontreatment.com