tonight. Instead, I'm going to teach you something that you're dying to do." In our case that was riding her bike by herself around the neighborhood to the market. Now I'm using a similar tool as the tech industry because I'm taking fundamental needs of hers — adventure, autonomy, physical exercise — and I'm using that to get her excited about something off the screen. The result has been amazing. She now bikes herself to piano and soccer practice and loves being outside. Over time, you're teaching the child's brain to start to reach for and want these activities off the screen, and they weaken their desire for activities on the screen.
So you're tapping into a kid's motivation?
Yes, exactly. Science tells us this. The dopamine system is really flexible in humans. Like super flexible. We can stick whatever we want in that reward pocket if we link it up to a need. And so we
can, as parents, swap out the screen or ultra processed foods for something that actually makes the child feel good and benefits them.
Can the same approach work to rewire the brains of teenagers who have grown up with tech and ultraprocessed foods?
The human brain is super flexible, even when you're old like me, but it's even more flexible when you're young. Obviously teenagers can rewire their brain.
Their brain is still developing and we can change our habits at any age, so never think it's too late to help a kid change their habits.
#Science #Screentime
www.npr.org/2026/03/06/n...