Board of Advisors Spotlight: Paul Weigle, MD

Looking back on his career, Dr. Weigle notes his interest in video games and screen media was shaped both by the era in which he grew up and by the state of the field when he began his professional training.

Dr. Weigle is keenly aware of how the use of digital media—and the growing knowledge of its impacts on mental health—have evolved since he first began his professional career in the early 2000’s. “I noticed that we weren’t trained to appreciate or evaluate the effects of screen media habits on mental health [because] screen media habits were so much less than today.” However, he noticed over time how the mental health of his patients became increasingly tied to their digital media use.

Dr. Weigle notes that he was a member of the earliest generation to see the boom in modern video gaming. He has found his past interest in gaming serves as a bridge for connection with his young patients. It has also served as a professional gateway for educating peers of prior generations who had minimal knowledge of the impacts of video games on youth. “It became a niche for me to educate my fellow psychiatrists about gaming and how it can influence the mental health of a number of their patients, and how sometimes they could connect with their patients through their love of gaming.”

Dr. Weigle combined examining the impacts of video gaming and digital media on mental health early on, citing his experience speaking at the national conference at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) starting in 2008.

Shortly thereafter, he began connecting this work with colleagues via the media committee at AACAP. The committee organized research symposia, educational events at AACAP meetings, and collaborated on writing projects and additional ways to educate professionals and the public on the impacts of digital media use.

The AACAP media committee provided Dr. Weigle a space to connect with other child psychiatrists interested in screen media’s impacts on children. At the time, he recalls a persistent gap between psychiatrists dealing with these issues in clinical practice and the investigators exploring the topic in trials. “Even though we have so many fantastic minds in child psychiatry, we were siloed in our profession and had little connections with the scientists of different disciplines such as psychology.”

That changed when he learned about Children and Screens. “Many of the researchers and minds who I had read about but never met were getting together at the Children and Screens Digital Media and Developing Minds International Scientific Congress,” he recalls. “My peers told me that this is the kind of place to connect with all of the folks we had read about but never met or collaborated with.”

Reflecting on his introduction to Children and Screens, Dr. Weigle notes, “it was inspiring to see the work that Dr. Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra and the board were doing to bring people who are passionate about this together in order to advance our knowledge and overcome the siloing that kept the cross pollination of ideas that was so desperately needed.”

Dr. Weigle went on to organize an annual Children and Screens symposium at the AACAP meeting for eight consecutive years, “inviting researchers I met from different professions through Children and Screens to come and present their research first-hand to psychiatrists.” He notes how this has since helped experts from different disciplines collaborate and learn from each other on the topic of digital media use and children.

Looking back on the work of Children and Screens, Dr. Weigle states that the Institute has “done a great service to the youth of our country and around the world, and their efforts have really borne fruit. I’m grateful to Pam [Hurst Della-Pietra, Founder and Chair of the Board] and Kris [Perry, Executive Director] and so many others in the Children and Screens community for creating this platform and allowing this collaboration and for all those who work to advance it.”

Dr. Weigle adds, “It’s been one of the great pleasures and honors of my career to contribute to the work of Children and Screens.”

From his own practice working with children and adolescents, Dr. Weigle observes the tension that overuse of digital media creates: for children, for parents, and for the parent-child relationship. While many recognize that screen use has become excessive, both children and adults are reluctant to admit to it, or struggle to make changes.

“Kids often have an awareness about the positive and negative effects that their screen media habits have, yet this is something they usually won’t admit to their parents, because so many kids and parents are in a constant struggle to moderate kids’ media habits.”

Parents, he adds, often face a similar challenge. Many have an awareness of their own screen media over-use, but feel unable to moderate it. One reason for this is because they find it enjoyable or even addictive, even if it comes at the expense of being present for their children day-to-day.

Dr. Weigle emphasized that children’s media use often mirrors that of their parents. When adults feel uncomfortable setting limits on children because of their own screen use, “smart kids are likely to take advantage of that guilt.” This lack of self-control over media use, particularly for children, informs Dr. Weigle’s view of what work needs to be done to improve children’s health and well-being going forward.

While Dr. Weigle views education for families as vitally important, he argues that meaningful progress requires change from the tech companies behind the popular—and addicting—digital platforms kids and parents use.

“Often kids and parents use [screens] more than they think is healthy because to some degree they can’t help themselves…and this is something that tech platforms are well-aware of and could easily correct.”

Dr. Weigle notes the need for clearer parenting controls across gaming, video, and social media platforms. However, he points out that tech companies are unlikely to regulate themselves, as they profit from maximizing engagement of their users in spite of negative effects on their lives–even for children.

“Legislation that holds tech companies responsible for the harms they cause and establishes standards to moderate use for young people and gives parents control over kids’ tech use is a necessary step in combatting the mental health and educational crises our youth are facing, and reverting to a healthier nation.”