Pat Traynor, Executive Director, Dakota Medical Foundation

Last week, Dakota Medical Foundation hosted its inaugural summit, and the turnout was truly heartening. Hundreds of concerned medical providers, parents, teachers, and community members from across the region came together in person and online to hear from Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke, who’s at the forefront of a silent epidemic ravaging our country: digital addiction.

I’d like to share with you some concerning trends:

– American adults currently spend about seven hours a day in front of a screen, and adults spend about nine.

– Four in 10 youth in the U.S. struggle with depression, one in five have suicidal thoughts, and one in 10 experience anxiety.

– The obesity rate in the US has tripled since 1960.

– 70 percent of adults say they get insufficient sleep on a monthly basis, and one in 10 don’t get enough sleep daily.

What do all these things have in common, according to Dr. Lembke? They’re all connected to dopamine, and an inability to properly regulate this essential neurotransmitter is having far-reaching consequences. While we don’t think of them in the same way as alcohol or heroin, texting, social media, and video games can each become a drug and have a profound effect on our mental, social, and physical health.

The most effective way to begin reversing the disastrous effects of this modern addiction? Abstinence. Whether it’s a day, a week, or a month, unplugging has immediate benefits. That’s why we’re inviting you to visit DakMed.org and accept the “Phones Down, Heads Up Challenge,” which we also issued to DMF Summit attendees. Our hope is for people of our region to rediscover the joy, beauty, and connection that life provides if we just put down our devices.