Navigating Teens, Tech, and Mental Health: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Teens in the Digital Age
Screens are everywhere—at school, at home, even in our pockets—and it’s easy to lose track of how this constant connectivity affects teen mental health. At a recent two-day conference with the Society for Digital Mental Health, I gathered insights on AI in therapy, digital mental health tools, and how CBT telehealth can help adolescents manage anxiety and screen-time stress. Here’s a deep dive with evidence-based strategies for families.
AI-Assisted CBT Exposures: Opportunity & Caution
Opportunity: Creative AI prompts (e.g., “ChatGPT, write me a rap about vomit”) can make CBT exposures more engaging for teens with specific phobias.
Caution: AI-driven mental health apps still lack licensed-therapist safety guardrails. Use online mental health apps as supplements—not replacements—for a CBT therapist for adolescents.
Why Are Young People Turning to AI for Support?
The APA’s Stress in America report found that young adults (18–34) often avoid talking about stress, not wanting to burden others. This avoidance can drive teens and emerging adults to seek anonymous help from AI chatbots or mental health apps. We need open conversations about how digital overload impacts mental well-being—and when to bring in a child and teen psychologist.
Tips for Talking to Teens About AI
Here are some takeaways I want to pass on for talking with young people about AI (see Resource below for further reading):
Start with the Basics
You’re the Expert on Your Child: Emphasize your role more than tech know-how.
Age Matters: AI means different things to a 12-year-old versus an 18-year-old.
Educate about AI’s risks
Misinformation & Bias: AI predicts based on internet data—it doesn’t “know” facts.
Data Privacy: Some tools collect personal data or may be used deceptively.
Set Healthy Tech Habits for Families
Screen Time Boundaries for Families: Co-create an AAP Family Media Plan to set boundaries and encourage accountability.
Monitor & Adjust: Use “Do Not Disturb,” Focus Mode, or apps like Forest to build healthy tech habits for kids.
Building Self-Regulation: CBT Strategies for Adolescent Anxiety
Even when technology tempts us during distress, it’s crucial that teens practice distress tolerance through evidence-based skills:
Grounding Exercises: Name five things you see, four things you hear, three things you touch.
Thought Records: Help teens challenge negative self-talk by listing evidence for and against.
Behavioral Activation: Swap passive scrolling → call a friend; late-night scrolling → read or stretch.
Curating a Positive Feed & Weekly Check-Ins
Inspire, Don’t Compare: Follow social accounts focused on creativity, movement, and non-toxic body image.
Check-In Prompts:
“What’s one post this week that made you feel good? One that didn’t?”
“Was my screen time social, creative, or purely passive?”
What We're Watching:
Catherine Price explains how our phones are designed to hijack our biochemistry:
Watch on YouTube
What We're Reading:
How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Digital Detox Plan by Catherine Price
Read on Amazon
What We're Listening To:
Dr. Becky’s take on screen time and resilience
In our modern world, 100% screen-free isn't realistic. But teaching our kids to feel frustration, struggle through it, and find joy beyond the screen? That’s what builds long-term emotional resilience.
Listen on Spotify
What We're Practicing:
7 Minute Guided Beach Meditation For Kids, Preteens, Teenagers, and Classrooms.
Take a quick vacation from your day and relax on the beach with this short, mindful, guided meditation for kids, preteens, teenagers, and classrooms!
Watch on YouTube
Research Corner:
A 2024 Pew Research Center survey revealed that:
48% of U.S. teens believe social media negatively affects their mental health (up from 32% in 2022).
45% say they spend too much time on it.
Girls report greater negative effects on sleep and self-confidence, while boys report stress from masculinity norms.
Resource Corner:
Get Support
If you’d like online CBT therapy or CBT telehealth for adolescent anxiety, screen-time management, or AI-assisted exposures, click here to reach out. At Well Brain Therapy, our child and teen psychologist team offers evidence-based therapy for children and CBT for anxiety in teens, both virtually and—in Michigan—IRL.
We’re here to help you and your family build balanced tech habits and lasting mental resilience.
