OasisLMS

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This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of problematic use and addiction associated with digital technology, specifically focusing on smartphones, internet applications, and social media websites. It begins by outlining the diagnostic criteria for technology-related problematic use and defining terms. The presentation examines key contributing factors such as personality traits, environmental influences, and psychological vulnerabilities. The lecture delves into mechanisms that drive excessive use, including the concepts of flow, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), the online disinhibition effect, and curiosity gaps, illustrating how these psychological phenomena increase engagement and risk for addiction. It further explores the physical health consequences of excessive screen time, such as weight gain and sleep disturbances, as well as the negative impact on mental health, including heightened anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. The presentation explains how digital technology interacts with our neurobiology, focusing on the brain's reward system and the powerful role of algorithms and artificial intelligence in reinforcing compulsive behaviors. Attendees are introduced to objective screening tools and rating scales for identifying problematic use, along with practical, evidence-based strategies that parents, youth, and clinicians can implement to manage technology use effectively. Finally, the session equips clinicians with practical communication techniques for discussing digital addiction with patients, guidance on making appropriate referrals, and frameworks for developing individualized treatment plans that address both behavioral patterns and underlying psychological issues, thereby offering a holistic approach to managing digital technology problematic use and addiction.

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants should be able to: 

• Describe the epidemiology of Digital technology use in youth.
• Identify diagnostic criteria and clinical signs associated with problematic technology use.
• Discuss key mediating factors that contribute to problematic technology use.
• Explain how the brain’s reward system, social pressure, flow states, FOMO, curiosity gaps, push notifications, cognitive overload, and sleep disruption reinforce technology use.
• List the medical and psychiatric sequelae linked to problematic internet use and technology addiction.
• Discuss the effects of internet and social media use on mental health diagnoses.
• Describe core technological concepts, including AI and algorithms, that influence user behavior.
• Employ screening tools and strategies to detect pathology related to technology use.
• Apply practical approaches to help patients manage and moderate technology use.
• Identify available resources and advocacy strategies to support patients and communities affected by problematic technology use.

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This webinar has been approved for a maximum 1, AOA Category 1-A CME credits. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation. This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and AOAAM. The AOAAM is accredited by the AOA to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Charles Wisniewski, DO  Dr. Charles Wisniewski is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Drexel University College of Medicine, board certified in both Adult and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. He earned his undergraduate degree from Boston College and a master's degree in Medical Sciences from Boston University, followed by his medical degree from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Wisniewski completed his Adult Psychiatry Residency at Drexel University College of Medicine, where he served as Chief Resident, and went on to complete a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Jefferson University.   Dr. Wisniewski has extensive clinical experience currently working with both adult and youth populations through PHMC's integrative care clinics and through a non-profit, JFCS. His clinical and academic interests focus on problematic smartphone use, problematic internet/social media use, and sleep disorders. He has delivered numerous presentations on problematic technology use to schools and clinics throughout the Greater Philadelphia area.   Dr. Wisniewski's work on internet use disorders has been published in the book, Beyond The Primal Addiction, co-authored with Salman Akhtar and Nina Savelle-Rocklin. He is currently serving as a guest editor for a special issue on Child and Adolescent Behavioral Addictions in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Use.