In recent years, parents have become increasingly concerned that their children are spending too much time on gadgets; awareness of the possible harm of excessive use has become more relevant than ever. Evidence that children are drowning in an endless stream of gadgets, games and other media overtakes us in every store and school , cafe, at home, on the road or in transport. And more and more often, children find themselves in situations where adults deprive them of access to electronics, which results in conflicts in the family, development of addiction, and ultimately a path to a psychologist’s office. Despite these alarming trends, or perhaps because the problem seems too big to solve, society has been slow to recognize the connection between gadgets as a youth mental health crisis. But how do we recognize a negative trend in our own family? Patterns of overuse don't necessarily start with substances that parents fear most, such as nicotine, alcohol or drugs. Instead, these patterns can develop with things like sugar, caffeine, video games, social media, and online pornography, all of which most children have access to. Before the age of 25, teaching your child healthy consumption habits can make life a lot easier later on. Substances and activities like those mentioned above reward us with the feel-good dopamine. Dopamine creates a feeling in the body of “let’s do this again.” In this regard, you need to look for activities that increase dopamine levels in real life. For example, sports, communication with the opposite sex, pets, setting goals and pursuing dreams, etc. All this is very important for strengthening the connection with receiving pleasure from reality. When the brain is overstimulated by dopamine, as a result of receiving “quick pleasure” from a huge flow of information, it reduces its independent production. Once this change in the brain occurs, a person may need to do more and more things each time to get that same “feel good.” As a result, we get irritability, insomnia, anxiety and depression. Children may lose interest in other activities and seek “quick gratification” substitutes to feel normal. The mechanisms work similarly to addiction. How can we reduce the harm from gadgets in a world where it is impossible to escape from them? How can parents teach children to manage their time on electronic devices or the use of any other “feel good” substance or activity that could lead to problems in the future? Get started You can do this with simple but extremely effective tips: 1. Reduce your time on social networks, gadgets, etc., from daily to once or twice a week. And don’t be afraid to upset your child, these are actions for the good.2. Consider monitoring session times. Set a time limit online, one or two hours, not until you're blue in the face.3. Change your child's schedule and keep him as occupied as possible with real-life activities. But observe the main condition - it should be interesting and bring pleasure to the child. Let it be communication with peers, a favorite sport, outdoor games, varied hobbies, communication with pets - the main thing is to build a connection between reality and getting pleasure in real life in a healthy way.4. Encourage healthier options for using gadgets. For example, presenting the computer as a learning tool, rather than an opportunity to drown in online games. Buy a gadget according to its need. You don’t need a super-powerful computer to work with educational programs - don’t be led by your “imaginary” concern for your beloved child.5. The existing consumption system needs to be changed gradually. Small, gradual changes over time tend to be more effective and less stressful for the entire family.6. Practice healthy behaviors and set the foundation for your children by example. Young people are best at copying healthy people.