Children As Young As 13 Attending 'Smartphone Rehab' As Concerns Grow Over Screen Time (independent.co.uk)

A report from The Independent:

 Children refusing to put down their phones is a common flashpoint in many homes, with a third of British children aged 12 to 15 admitting they do not have a good balance between screen time and other activities. 

But in the U.S., the problem has become so severe for some families that children as young as 13 are being treated for digital technology addiction. 

One "smartphone rehab" center near Seattle has started offering residential "intensive recovery programs" for teenagers who have trouble controlling their use of electronic devices. 

The Restart Life Center says parents have been asking it to offer courses of treatment to their children for more than eight years.

 Hilarie Cash, the Center's founder, told Sky News smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices can be so stimulating and entertaining that they "override all those natural instincts that children actually have for movement and exploration and social interaction."

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"I've worked with hundreds of heroin addicts and crystal meth addicts, and what I can say is that it's easier to treat a heroin addict than a true screen addict," says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, author of 'Glow Kids.'

 https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/how-screen-addiction-is-ruining-the-brains-of-children