his dad helps him put his pajamas on and they go back downstairs. Stress hormones remain high, however, making it difficult for him to relax or think clearly. He seems a little confused, actually. His relatives look at him with a mixture of concern and love, but they also wonder why his parents let him “get away with” this kind of behavior. His mother intuitively knows that direct eye contact will overstimulate him again, so she approaches him slowly from the side, and rubs his back gently.
When his favorite aunt looks him in the face sympathetically, he immediately distrusts her intentions. Eye-to-eye interaction is interpreted by his primitive-mode brain as a challenge, and he starts getting revved up again. His mother intervenes, and takes him up to his room. She lowers the light, settles him into bed, and starts to read him a soothing story. His nervous system attempts to regulate itself back to normal, but it seems to still be held hostage by his hyped-up emotions. That night, after he does finally fall to sleep, Aiden awakens repeatedly with panic attacks — his heart races and blood pounds in his ears. He’s scared of the dark, and worried that his angry outburst has upset and alienated his parents. His mother, meanwhile, confiscates the DS and decides to take it with her to work on Monday. (She really wants to throw it in the trash, but it was expensive!)
The following morning, the fight in Aiden has subsided, but the aftermath leaves him in a fog, listless, weepy, and exhausted. He experiences an increased craving for sweets while cortisol, the stress hormone, drives his blood sugar up and down erratically. It will take weeks before his body, brain, and mind return to some sense of balance.
Meanwhile, his mother reaffirms her commitment “to get rid of those damn video games.”
Perceived Threat and the Fight-or-Flight Response
Does Aiden’s story sound familiar? Why would a seemingly normal, loving child become so enraged and difficult after playing video games? Though his response may seem extreme, there’s actually a completely natural explanation for Aiden’s behavior.
Playing video games mimics the kinds of sensory assaults humans are programmed to associate with danger. When the brain senses danger, primitive survival mechanisms swiftly kick in to provide protection from harm. This response is instantaneous; it is hardwired in our genes and necessary for survival. Keep in mind that the threat does not have to be real — it only needs to be a perceived danger for the brain and body to react. Think of how you feel when watching a truly scary movie. Your heart rate increases, your stomach twists into knots, and your limbs tense, poised to react. Even though you know “it’s only a movie,” the graphic and threatening images produce an intense, undeniable physiological response. When this instinct gets triggered, our nervous system and hormones influence our state of arousal, jumping instantly to a state of hyperarousal — the fight-or-flight response. These feelings can be hard to shake off even after the movie is over, which is why even adults sometimes have nightmares afterward — usually of being attacked (fight) or of trying to run away from danger (flight).
While in medical school, we often heard this state referred to as “running from the tiger,” since during ancient times humans protected themselves from predators by literally fighting or fleeing. Today, we still need this rapid stress response for emergency situations, and on a day-to-day basis mild stress reactions help us get things done. But for the most part, repeatedly enduring fight-or-flight responses when survival is not an issue does more harm than good. When the fight-or-flight state occurs too often, or too intensely, the brain and body have trouble regulating themselves back to a calm state, leading to an experience of chronic stress. Chronic stress is also produced when there is a “mismatch” between fight-or-flight reactions and energy expenditure, as occurs with screen-time; the physical energy needs to be discharged for the system to re-regulate. Once chronic stress sets in, brain function suffers. With children, whose nervous systems are still developing, this sequence of events occurs much faster than it does for adults, and the chronically stressed child soon starts to struggle. If your child is experiencing behavior issues, falling grades, mood swings, problems socializing, or other chronic difficulties, it is fairly safe to assume that his or her nervous system is being subjected to stress on a repeated basis.
As parents (and as clinicians), when we see children who are revved up all the time, we instinctively do all we can to make them feel safe and calm. We don’t show them scary movies, take them bungee jumping, or let them hang out with rougher children. But in today’s environment, our children are under nearly constant assault from electronic screen devices, and they react in the same way as they might to any other danger, resulting eventually in distressing symptoms and dysfunction — Electronic Screen Syndrome. When a child is experiencing ESS, it only makes sense to use the same strategy we use in other stressful situations: minimize stress where you can — electronic or otherwise — and minimize overstimulation. Whether or not other stressors are present, electronic screen media heightens stress states, and therefore all mental, neurological, and physical symptoms worsen in tandem. Conversely, many times when electronic stress is removed, other stressors become more manageable or are no longer experienced as stressors. Figure 1 depicts the cycle of stress and dysfunction, compounded by additional stress from interactive screen-time.
Figure 1. Electronic screen stress and stress reactions influence each other in a vicious cycle
Sensitive and Vulnerable: Eyes, Brain, and Body
Exactly how do electronic screen devices cause stress? To understand what factors may be affecting your child’s nervous system, we need to take a closer look at the workings of the brain when confronted with the many electronic stimuli present in today’s environment. Although in Aiden’s case it was video game play that disrupted his behavior, it’s essential to realize that any electronic screen interaction, regardless of content, can irritate the nervous system — “it’s the medium, not the message.” Why? Because the interface between the screen and your child’s nervous system allows natural processes to be disturbed. The three main points of access for development of ESS are your child’s eyes, brain, and body, including the body’s natural energy fields. Understanding the various pathways by which electronic screens affect your child helps you appreciate why any kind of interactive screen-time can wreak havoc.
The Eyes
The eyes provide a particularly potent route for electronic screen toxicity, regardless of content being processed. How does this communication between unnatural screen stimulation and the brain occur? The eyes are directly connected to the central nervous system, which allows the physical environment to have a powerful influence on brain activity. In fact, the eyes are the only part of the central nervous system exposed to the outside world. Directly behind each eye are the retina and the optic nerve, which receive information from the environment in the form of light. The optic nerves extend back from each eye and then cross at the base of the brain, where they communicate with the small but vital pineal gland, whose main job is to help regulate the sleep-wake cycles by secreting a sleep hormone (melatonin) that’s triggered by darkness.
There are at least three eye-related “routes” that can be accessed. First, because electronic screens emit unnaturally bright light, they convey information to the brain that’s inconsistent with what’s occurring in the real world, desynchronizing the body clock and other biological rhythms.1 Second, interacting with a 2D screen alters normal eye muscle movements, including those used for changes in depth. This influences visual and vestibular (relating to sense of balance and body position) development, cognition, and mood regulation. Third, electronic media provides intense, unnatural, “arresting” visual stimulation that affects sensory and attention processes.2 This is true no matter what the specific content is. Thus, screen devices affect your child through his or her eyes by light, muscle movement signals, and visual stimulation.
The eye itself may suffer as well. Aside from eye strain or “computer vision syndrome,” which causes blurred vision, headaches, and dry, irritated eyes,3 the LED light emitted from screens has been implicated in retinal damage in various laboratory and animal studies.4 Both blue