Childhood is changing for children. Playing outdoors, spending time with friends, read- ing books and hanging out with family is happening a lot less to make room for hours of snap chatting, instagramming, and catch- ing up on YouTube. With children spending between 3 to 9 hours daily in front of a screen, many childhood essentials are pushed aside for online amusement.

New research shows dependence on your smartphone may produce some of the same addictive brain responses similar to alcohol, drug and gambling addictions. Smartphones are like slot machines in your children’s pocket constantly persuad- ing them to crave more. The tech industry intentionally designs smartphone apps and social media for people to use for long periods of time because this is how they make their money.

Tweens who spend more time on screens have a higher likelihood of developing disruptive behavior disorders with with social media having an especially strong influence, a new UC San Francisco-led study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found. Social media use was most likely to be linked to conduct disorder, while other forms of screen use—such as watching videos and television, playing video games, and texting—were more likely to be associated with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).

Initial results from a groundbreaking study by the National Institute of Health reveal that MRI’s found significant differences in the brains of children who use smartphones, tablets, and video games more than seven hours a day. Children were found to have a premature thinning of the cortex, the outermost layer of the brain that processes information from the five senses.

Children are not emotionally equipped to navigate tricky social media waters at such an early age. Viewing someone else’s highlight reel on social media often leads youth to think they are missing out or are not enough. Research shows that the more time someone uses social media the more likely they are to be depressed. A Harvard Business Review showed the more you use Facebook the worse you feel.

In addition, when children overuse technology, the constant stimulation of the brain causes the hormone cortisol to rise, inhibiting a child from feeling calm. The loss of tranquility can lead to serious anxiety disorders.

Many parents regret allowing their child to have a smartphone because they have experienced the way the smartphone is destructive to relationships. Children are often in-attentive with the constant distraction the phone brings. Face to face relationships dwindle as they shift time and energy to their online “friendships.”