Reset Summer Camp for Screen-time Overuse & Gaming Addiction Featured on NBC's Today Show & Comedy Central’s Daily Show
Reset Summer Camp for adolescent gaming addiction and unhealthy screen-time overuse was featured on NBC’s Today Show last Friday, December 7th in a segment on “video game rehab.” Camp Executive Director Michael Jacobus discussed the issue of teen tech addiction affecting many families with NBC’s Joe Fryer and described how his program helps to resolve it.
“Most of these kids have been staying up until two, three, four in the morning gaming,” Jacobus told Fryer of kids’ screen-time obsession. “They have terrible eating and sleeping habits.”
Parents featured in the segment revealed that they have frequent arguments with their children about playing video games. This phenomenon is not unusual. In fact, the founder of the ultra-popular video game Fortnite reports that more than 200 million people have registered accounts, a number that is up 60 percent since June. CommonSense Media poll results indicate that 61 percent of teens have played the battle-attack video game, and 24 percent of those parents are concerned about the amount of time their child spends playing. Video games are just one aspect of the problem though.
“We have observed that the majority of campers arrive to our program GLUED to their phones,” says Jacobus.
At Reset Summer Camp, teens experience a fun-filled summer camp program full of activities and excursions, without any digital interruption or distraction. In addition to positive peer socialization, they learn life skills like cooking and doing laundry. Importantly, teens are also taught healthy tech habits.
“We’re not telling kids not to game or never to be on social media,” explained Jacobus to NBC. “Technology is in your world, in your life. We just want you to learn to use it in a healthy, self-moderated way.”
Jacobus recommends that families set limits for gameplay, social media and other internet use. His camp features a Family Weekend and 90-day aftercare program to help emphasize that and other key components to moderation.
“Our goal at Reset is to set the foundation for healthy living, personal responsibility and social interaction,” says Jacobus. “These kids are intelligent and creative and we hope to foster that beyond their screens.”
Comedy Central’s Daily Show also offered a light-hearted jab at the program and Jacobus responded with an offer to come to the show to better explain and share the challenges and struggles of gaming addicted kids.
Reset Summer Camp is a fully immersive, residential four-week, clinical program hosted on a college campus, with a fun-filled, summer camp atmosphere. Teens “detox” from their screen addictions and learn how to self-regulate while participating in individual and group therapy. The life skills focused program creates understanding and builds self-confidence so that campers will be able to handle real-world responsibilities. Staff include experienced youth-development professionals, clinical interns, registered nurses and private-practice mental health PhDs who work daily with teens suffering from problematic use of technology, gaming addiction and other unhealthy screen-time habits. For more information, email info@resetsummercamp.com.
Michael Jacobus
Reset Summer Camp
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Reset Summer Camp featured on NBC's Today Show
