(Radio Iowa) – The parent company of Facebook and Instagram is being sued under the premise social media platforms are addictive and harmful to kids’ mental health, and a childhood family therapist at Gundersen Health System says Iowa parents should watch for warning signs. Jeff Reiland says there’s no proven link between screentime and a child’s depression and anxiety, but he sees an alarming trend with social media that’s on a par with video games.

“In the case of children and teenagers, is it getting in the way of them going to school, getting their homework done, participating in sports, doing the things at home they do as part of the family?” Reiland asks. “Are they becoming more isolated? Do they tend to obsess about the game or activity? Do they become irritated when they don’t have exposure to those things?” While addiction to social media isn’t formally recognized as a diagnosis, Reiland believes social media does have an addictive component to it and that it can be harmful.

Reiland says, “Those same things that we see in adults or teenagers who have substance problems are the same kinds of behaviors or responses we see in children and teenagers when they are more involved with social media than they should be.” If a parent suspects their child is spending an unhealthy amount of time at their screen, he suggests having a talk with them and not simply banning them from their phones, tablets and computers.

“Try to survey and find out if the teenager thinks that maybe that’s something they could work on cutting back,” Reiland says. “I think it helps for parents and teens to have a conversation about that, rather than parents just — in an authoritarian way — just going out and taking it out. Ultimately, parents have that responsibility to make those hard decisions.” Reiland recommends that parents with young children hold off on giving them access to social media until they are much older and more mature.

“One of the codes that I hear kids say is, ‘I’m bored. The only thing that’s not boring is my screen, when I’m plugged into my social media, when I’m plugged into my video gaming, I’m not bored.’ That’s a red flag,” Reiland says, “because life is way more exciting in real time than virtually. It’s just not as predictable and that’s the problem.”

The Gundersen Health System includes a hospital in West Union, and clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar.