Pioneering expert comes to Vashon to talk about kids and computers

Published 3:22 pm Tuesday, October 29, 2013

By SARAH LOW
Staff Writer

Responding to the growing concerns of many island parents, Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS) has booked Dr. Hilarie Cash, PhD., LMHC, one of the nation’s foremost experts on Internet, technology and video game addiction, to speak as part of its fall parenting class series.

“This kind of addiction is extremely difficult to deal with, even in recovery. Technology is a part of our everyday lives; you can’t really get away from it,” Cash said in a recent interview with The Beachcomber.

Cash, who has authored a book on the subject of youth and computer use as well as co-founded the first residential treatment facility for this type of addiction, will speak at the Vashon High School theater on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Yvonne Zick, a parent educator and community coordinator at VYFS, explained that the agency booked Cash to speak on Vashon after hearing of what seemed to be a growing concern among island parents about how computers, smartphones and other technology have taken over their children’s time.

“Last year we had counselors from McMurray and Chautauqua coming to us with concerns from parents about the power technology had over their kids, but we had already booked our lectures,” Zick said. “So we held on to the idea for this year.”

Zick said that while working with families, she hears more and more about an invisible line that is crossed, where technology starts to interfere with regular life.

“The problem has been around for a long time,” she said, “but it seems to be happening more often and in younger and younger kids.”

Technology and its role in day-to-day living has increased exponentially over the last decade, with studies showing that it can have a significant impact on child development and socialization.

“There is enough evidence now that we can’t ignore. This is a really big issue and parents need to understand the impact, that kids are drawn to it because of its addictive nature and that Internet addiction is serious,” Zick said. “Withdrawing from this type of addiction actually produces physical symptoms, it’s like watching someone go through drug withdrawal.”

Zick believes that Internet, technology or video game overuse and addiction is one of the greatest threats to public health in recent years, with obesity, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and a growing list of mental health issues on the rise in kids and adults who suffer from it.

Zick, having attended a lecture by Cash in the past, thought she’d be a good fit to lecture on Vashon.

“We will be very lucky to have her come and talk,” Zick said.

Cash, a psychotherapist since 1981, has practiced in Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. In the early 1990s, she noticed she was seeing more and more people in marriages or other relationships that were depressed or had anxiety issues. The common thread they all shared was a significant use of the Internet or video games. Cash started a program to address these issues, and by 1999 it had become her full focus.

In 2008, Cash co-authored the book, “Video Games and Your Kids: How Parents Stay in Control,” to address the questions she’d had from parents over the years. In the book she explains what video gaming addiction is, how much gaming is too much and the effects gaming has on the body and brain of a child through each stage of development. Throughout the book, Cash offers practical advice for parents on being proactive and setting limits.

Cash said kids’ and teens’ use of technology will be her focus at the Vashon lecture.

“You have to know what your kids are doing online,” she said. “Parents need to take responsibility.”

Cash believes that the best way to do that is to have monitoring software installed on kids’ computers and other electronic devices. As intrusive as this sounds, Cash said, she is blunt with her rationale.

Though there is debate within the scientific community about whether internet addition is a true addiction or simply a symptom of other underlying psychological disorders, Cash speaks to the importance of limiting and monitoring children’s technology use before problems occur.

“Addicts lie, and kids will start at an early age,” she said. “Most parents seem willing to remain ignorant about the content their children are exposed to; they don’t believe that their kids are exposed to porn, for example. But the average age of exposure these days is 9 years old. It’s happening.”

Her hope for those who attend her lecture, she said, is that there will be no more confusion about appropriate boundary settings, and that parents will be motivated and feel empowered to take control.

Zick agrees.

“Parents need to know what to do if they feel like their kids are in trouble,” she said. “The most important thing is for them to have a better idea of how to be in charge in a positive and healthy way.”