Not a Fair Fight: Digital Media Addiction in Youth

Most digital media is designed to be addictive, and young brains are especially susceptible. Successful digital media content is stimulating, engaging, and targets the brain’s natural reward centers. This creates an unfair advantage over young brains, which have not yet fully developed their executive functioning. In today’s episode, Dr. Amanda Giordano introduces us to the “Four C’s” model of addiction, healthy vs unhealthy engagement with digital media, and interventions for youth and their families. She also shares who has her “six” and Actionable Intel to hone your skills.





Amanda L. Giordano, PhD, LPC is an associate professor at the University of Georgia who specializes in addictions counseling. She is the sole author of a clinical reference book titled, A Clinical Guide to Treating Behavioral Addictions and co-author of a textbook titled, Addiction Counseling: A Practical Approach. Dr. Giordano works to advance the counseling field with rigorous research and has published over 65 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. In 2024 she was awarded the Garry R. Walz Trailblazer award from American Counseling Association in recognition of her innovative work in the field of behavioral addictions.





Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Register now for Dr. Giordano’s pre-meeting institute at the 2025 EBP Conference! https://deploymentpsych.org/EBPConfer...
• Practical for Your Practice voice mail: speakpipe.com/cdpp4p (http://speakpipe.com/cdpp4p)
• Practical for Your Practice email: cdp-podcast-ggg@usuhs.edu (mailto:cdp-podcast-ggg@usuhs.edu)




Calls-to-action: For example:

• Register now for Dr. Giordano’s pre-meeting institute at the 2025 EBP Conference! https://deploymentpsych.org/EBPConfer...
• Incorporate a few questions about addictions (besides substances) in your intake assessment.
• Create a family digital media plan. Many templates exist.
• Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
• Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email at https://deploymentpsych.org/CDP-MED-O...