November 30, 2025 — Episode #98
Content note: this episode includes a discussion of a physical altercation between a parent and a teenager.
Fresh off Thanksgiving, Jerry and Becky Drace continue their series on internet addiction with a hard question: what should a parent do if a teenager becomes physically aggressive over a confiscated phone?
They talk through a real account of a mother who was injured in a struggle with her child over a cell phone, and stress the importance of having a plan in place before a confrontation turns physical. From there they return to cyber relationships, including online dating, and introduce two more categories of internet addiction: gaming disorder and compulsive information-seeking (the urge to constantly browse and refresh news and social feeds). Much of the episode covers eight warning signs drawn from one researcher’s framework for identifying internet addiction: preoccupation with being online, needing more time online to get the same satisfaction, losing track of time, using the internet as an escape, becoming moody or irritable when offline, and repeated failed attempts to cut back.
Topics discussed:
- A parent-teen physical altercation over a confiscated phone
- Cyber relationships and online dating
- Introducing gaming disorder as a type of internet addiction
- Compulsive information-seeking and constant news-checking
- Eight warning signs of internet addiction, from preoccupation to withdrawal
- Setting device boundaries without secrecy or apology
- Having a plan in place before a conflict escalates
- Comparing internet addiction to substance addiction
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