Parenting in the AI Age: Teens and Digital Screens

In the latest ConnectForHealth episode, Scott Armstrong (mentl) and co-host Maissa Al Khafajy (Cigna Healthcare Middle East and Africa) are joined by Dr Khaled Kadry, Director of Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Sakina for Children, to explore Parenting in the AI Age: Teens & Digital Screens.

From ChatGPT to TikTok, today’s teens live in a digital-first world. This conversation focuses on practical, realistic tools for parents and carers, including:

• What’s genuinely different for teens today and why it matters
• Screen time, social media, and gaming: risks, warning signs, and what to prioritise
• How dopamine, focus, sleep, and motivation can be affected
• Positive reinforcement that actually works (and why shame backfires)
• Quality time and relationship “banking” so boundaries land better
• How to engage teenagers, build trust, and keep communication open
  What parents should understand about AI tools like ChatGPT

This episode is part of ConnectForHealth, the live wellbeing webinar and podcast series from Cigna Healthcare Middle East and Africa, produced with support from mentl.

Chapter List: 

02:35 What’s genuinely different for teens today
07:15 Key principles for parents (model behaviour, purpose of screen use)
11:43 Mental health risks and warning signs (anxiety, focus, sleep, mood)
16:24 Poll 1: what would help parents most
22:40 Emotional regulation: positive reinforcement, not shame
29:16 Reward systems that work (age-appropriate incentives)
31:14 Quality time first: build the relationship before boundaries
35:46 Teens push boundaries: how to keep trust and communication
40:53 AI and ChatGPT: benefits, risks, and where to draw lines
46:24 Shorts, engaging teens, and practical ways to enter their world