Brett.Ullman

Is Netflix the New Heroin?

10 hours ago
brett ullman
Canadian content, media, technology
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What a great question. How have your viewing habits changed since Netflix?

Netflix is the new heroin. Hyperbole? Barely.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Renee Carr explains, “The neural pathways that cause heroin and sex addictions are the same as addiction to binge-watching. Your body does not discriminate against pleasure. It can become addicted to any activity or substance that consistently produces dopamine.”

According to Deloitte research, 70% of consumers binge-watch an average of five episodes in one sitting. Another study found that those ages 14-33 binge watch an average of 5 hours in a single sitting. When you stop and think about these stats there is only one way to define them: addiction.

Click here for the entire article and video

Cannabis and the CMA (Canadian Medical Association)

3 days ago
brett ullman
Canadian content, Drugs & Alcohol, parenting
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There is some great information on the CMA site.

Recommending a public health approach
In legalizing cannabis, the federal government must focus on protecting Canadians and reducing any potential impact on health — in particular for children and youth.

In its submission to the federal Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, the CMA recommends a broad public health approach that would focus on:

preventing drug dependence and addiction;
increasing availability of assessment, counselling and treatment services for those who wish to stop using; and
increasing the safety for those who are using through harm reduction programs and awareness.

They have posters and other links you can check out as well.

Click here for the website.

Cannabis: What Parents/Guardians and Caregivers Need to Know

5 days ago
brett ullman
brett ullman, Canadian content, Drugs & Alcohol, Health, mental health, parenting
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Parents here is a 6 sheet PDF from The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) with information to help you on the conversation of legalized Marijuana.

This fact sheet on recreational cannabis is for parents/guardians and caregivers of youth in grades 6 to 12. It provides information about cannabis, cannabis legalization, risks, signs of a problem, how to help your child, and where to get more information and support.

Please click this link for the PDF

A New Narrative: Talking to your teens about technology: Vlog 3 of 5: TV/Movies

5 days ago
brett ullman
brett ullman, Canadian content, media, parenting
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This is part 3 of a 5 part video blog (vlog) series where we will be looking at trying to change the narrative of how we speak to our kids about technology. We will look at current ways parents talk to teens about tech and then look at a new narrative that teens will respond to better. We need to move from telling to teaching. Today we look at a new way to talk to our kids around the conversations on TV/Movies.

How tech companies are addressing screen addiction

1 week ago
brett ullman
media, parenting
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A really important conversation here.

From app developers to tech behemoths such as Google and Facebook, companies have spent years working to make consumer technology as addictive as possible. After all, time spent with their products could equal big bucks for the company.
However, that’s starting to change, and we could be at the precipice of a shift in how software is designed. Apple and Google are implementing new features aimed at curbing phone usage, and apps like Instagram are rolling out features intended to help you manage your time with the app better.
So, why are they doing this, and is it enough?

Click here to read the article.