I3 Presents David Gillespie & Maggie Dent - Raising Teenagers in the Digital Age

David Gillespie, Author of “Teen Brain” and Maggie Dent, parenting specialist, in conversation, discussing ‘Raising Teens In A Digital Age’. This will be followed by a meet & greet and a book signing with both David and Maggie.

Raising Teens in the Digital Age

Being a teenager has always been challenging, across every generation throughout history – but the digital age has added fuel to the hormone laden fire. Who better to guide parents through these tricky years than Maggie Dent & David Gillespie. Bring your questions, they’ve got the answers.

Join us for the third event in the Institute of Interesting Ideas Winter Series, Kiama.

ABOUT “TEEN BRAIN”

With their labile and rapidly developing brains, adolescents are particularly susceptible to addiction, and addiction leads to anxiety and depression.

What few parents will know is that what we think of as the most typical addictions and problematic teen behaviours – smoking, drinking, drug taking, sex leading to teenage pregnancy – are on the decline.

The bad news is that a whole raft of addictions has taken their place. Whereas once the dopamine-hungry brain of a teenager got its fix from smoking a joint or sculling a Bundy and coke, it is now turning to electronic devices for the pleasure jolt that typically comes from online playing games and engaging with social media.

What is doubly troubling is that, unlike drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, electronic devices are not illicit. Quite the contrary. They are liberally distributed by schools and parents, with few restrictions placed on their use.

And, to add fuel to the fire, emerging research shows that if addictive pathways are activated during the teen years, they are there for life, and that what starts as a screen addiction can lead to major substance abuse later in life.

ABOUT DAVID

David Gillespie is a recovering corporate lawyer, co-founder of a successful software company and consultant to the IT industry. He is also the father of six young children (including one set of twins). With such a lot of extra time on his hands, and 40 extra kilos on his waistline, he set out to investigate why he, like so many in his generation, was fat. He deciphered the latest medical findings on diet and weight gain and what he found was chilling. Being fat was the least of his problems. He needed to stop poisoning himself.