Experts warn screen addiction in kids fuelling anxiety, school refusal and suicidal thoughts

Kids as young as five are staying up late glued to screens — and experts say it’s driving a dangerous rise in anxiety, school refusal and even suicidal behaviour. See the warning signs.

Adella Beaini

@adellabeaini

3 min read

June 29, 2025 - 5:00AM

National News Network

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Kids as young as five are staying up past midnight glued to phones and gaming screens — and experts say it’s fuelling a surge in anxiety, school refusal and even suicidal thoughts.

Psychologists and clinicians warn that compulsive night-time screen use is leaving kids exhausted, emotionally dysregulated and unable to cope — with some cases turning life-threatening.

Senior psychologist and ex-cop Warren Kilburn said he had seen a sharp rise in teens hooked on late-night scrolling and online addiction, particularly since the pandemic.

Psychologist Warren Kilburn with his wife Paige and children William, 13, Maddie, 11. ,

Mr Kilburn said the emotional fallout was profound — and in some cases, deadly.

“Teens tend to stay up late ‘doom-scrolling’ or repeatedly checking their phones, which disrupts their sleep and contributes to fatigue, school refusal, low mood, and withdrawal,” Mr Kilburn, from Embed Psychology, said.

“In my practice, I’ve supported teens whose entire self-worth is tethered to online validation … when that feedback turns negative or disappears, they spiral into despair.

“The most serious cases I’ve seen involve young people who have experienced suicidal ideation, or made attempts to take their own lives, with phone dependency, social media harm, and online exclusion playing a significant role.”

“The phone becomes both the source of emotional distress and the temporary escape from it — much like the cycle of alcohol addiction.”

The phone addition detail comes a year after News Corp successfully lobbied through its Let Them be Kids campaign for laws banning social media use for children under 16.

The legislation takes effect later this year.

Pediatric speech pathologist Kylie Toynton, founder of Unplugged Play, which helps families cut screen time, said she had also observed phone addiction among children.

“I would estimate that 30 per cent of the children I have worked with are impacted by sleep deprivation,” she said.

“I have worked with children as young as five staying up late using devices, most often gaming … the majority of children impacted by sleep deprivation from device use that I have seen are boys 7–12 years old.”

Paediatric speech pathologist Kylie Toynton says many kids are sleep deprived at school. Picture: Supplied

She said tiredness is already showing up in classrooms.

“Children arrive at school or sessions already tired, and this has an immediate impact on their ability to engage in learning,” she said.

“For children who already struggle with emotional and self-regulation, tiredness reduces their skills even more.”

Ms Toynton said many parents don’t realise their children are online late into the night.

“Children can be incredibly creative in accessing their devices at night,” she said.

“Many schools require devices for learning and homework, so they are already in kids’ rooms for legitimate purposes.

”It is our responsibility as adults to ensure that we put in place the boundaries and support they need.”

Some experts caution against fuelling panic over, what is for many young people, a normal part of life.

“We need to be careful about overusing the term addiction, which has a particular medical meaning,” Dr Catherine Page Jeffery, a digital parenting expert at the University of Sydney, said.

“While some young people demonstrate some problematic behaviours … the majority use digital media without any significant problems related to excessive use.”

Dr Catherine Page Jeffery says parents should instead focus on communication over control. Picture: Supplied

Dr Jeffery said parents should instead focus on communication over control.

“Young people don’t typically make the distinction between ‘online’ and ‘offline’ that parents often do … they simply live out parts of their lives online,” she said.

“The best approach is for parents to work with their children to establish reasonable guidelines. This requires that parents listen to their children, rather than just lecturing them about online risk.”

Mr Kilburn, a father himself, said putting that into practice means setting consistent boundaries.

“Like all families, we’re learning as we go, but we’ve agreed on some clear non-negotiables; no phones in bedrooms at night, devices off well before bed, and dedicated screen-free time each evening, especially around dinner,” he said.