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If your ADHD kid turns into a completely different human after screens… you’re not imagining it—and you’re not alone.

In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine, I’m joined by Dr. Sajita Setia, physician and mental health expert, to break down what’s actually happening in your child’s brain when it comes to screen time.

We’re talking about the dopamine hit, the emotional crashes, and why ADHD kids are especially vulnerable to the cycle of screens → irritability → meltdowns → guilt (for them and for us).

Dr. Setia connects the dots between screen use, anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation—and explains why so many of us feel like we’re constantly putting out fires after the tablet turns off.

We cover:

• Why ADHD brains are more sensitive to screen-driven dopamine
• How screen time impacts emotional regulation, focus, and behavior
• What to replace screens with (that actually works for ADHD kids)
• How to break the screen → meltdown → guilt cycle as a parent

If you’ve ever handed your kid a screen just to survive—and then paid for it later… this episode will hit.

Connect with Dr. Setia 👉 Dr. Sajita Setia

This Month's Sponsors:

🎲 Taco Cat Games

Helping ADHD families get off screens without triggering a full-blown meltdown…

📱 My Screen Coach

Helping families raise kids who can actually unplug.

🧠 Social Thinking

Helping kids build the social and emotional skills that don’t always come naturally.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend.

🕹️ The Op Games
Building focus, connection, and social skills—one ridiculously fun, screen-free game at a time.

🛒 Insight Family Market

A thoughtfully curated marketplace created by an educator and parent who actually gets neurodivergent families.

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves!

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at chaosandcaffeinepodcast@gmail.com.

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves!

Are screens actually rewiring your child’s brain… or are we just being dramatic?

In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine, I sit down with Dr. Jane Shawcroft to break down what research actually says about screen time, social media, and kids — especially for children with ADHD.

Because here’s the reality no one is saying loud enough:
ADHD brains are already wired for dopamine, novelty, and instant feedback… and today’s digital platforms are built to deliver exactly that.

So what happens when those two collide?

We dig into:
✔️ Whether social media is designed to be addictive for kids
✔️ Why ADHD children may be more vulnerable to problematic screen use
✔️ The long-term effects of early screen habits on behavior and mental health
✔️ What actually works for ADHD families when limiting screen time feels impossible

This is not about guilt.
This is about understanding what your child is up against — and how to support them without losing your mind in the process.

If you’ve ever wondered why your child melts down when screens turn off…
why focus feels harder after device time…
or if you’re “doing screens wrong”…

This episode will change how you see it.

Connect with Dr. Shawcroft 👉 Media Across Development

This Month's Sponsors:

📱 My Screen Coach

Helping families raise kids who can actually unplug.

🧠 Social Thinking

Helping kids build the social and emotional skills that don’t always come naturally.

🎲 Taco Cat Games

Helping ADHD families get off screens without triggering a full-blown meltdown…

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend.

🛒 Insight Family Market

A thoughtfully curated marketplace created by an educator and parent who actually gets neurodivergent families.

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves!

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at chaosandcaffeinepodcast@gmail.com.

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves!

If screen time feels like it has a stronger grip on your child than you do… this episode is going to change the way you see everything.

Today on Chaos & Caffeine, I’m sitting down with clinical psychologist and globally recognized expert Dr. Jody Carrington to break down what’s actually happening in ADHD brains when it comes to screens, emotional regulation, and those next-level meltdowns that hit the second you say, “time to turn it off.”

Because this isn’t just about screen time.
This is about nervous system regulation, connection, and why ADHD kids aren’t “addicted” to screens—they’re often using them to cope.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why ADHD kids struggle so hard to transition off screens
• What’s happening in the brain during screen use (and why it feels impossible to compete)
• The difference between screen “addiction” vs. emotional regulation
• How dysregulation shows up as behavior—and what your child actually needs in those moments
• Why connection beats control (and how to actually do that in real life)
• What to do after a full-blown screen meltdown (without shame or punishment)
• Practical ways to reduce screen battles in your home starting today

If you’re exhausted from fighting the same screen-time battles on repeat…
If you’ve ever thought, “Why does this feel so much harder for my kid?”
If you want real, science-backed strategies that actually work for ADHD families…

This conversation will hit different.

Connect with Dr. Jody 👉 Dr. Jody Carrington

This Month's Sponsors:

📱 My Screen Coach

Helping families raise kids who can actually unplug.

🧠 Social Thinking

Helping kids build the social and emotional skills that don’t always come naturally.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend.

🛒 Insight Family Market

A thoughtfully curated marketplace created by an educator and parent who actually gets neurodivergent families.

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves!

📧 Have questions or ideas for future epi

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.