Anxious Mothers, Weak Fathers: A Warning about teens and technology with Johann D’Souza
The Heidi St. John Podcast
Heidi St. John
4.8 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 16 February 2026
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Are we in the middle of a teen mental health crisis—and is technology fueling it? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with clinical psychologist Johan D’Souza to unpack the dramatic rise in anxiety, depression, and suicidality since 2010 and what smartphones are doing to the developing brain. We talk honestly about dopamine, screen addiction, weak boundaries, strong leadership in the home, and what parents can do right now—even if a phone is already in their child’s hand. This isn’t about panic; it’s about courage, clarity, and raising kids who can flourish in a distracted world.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, you guys, welcome to the Heidi St. John podcast. Today I'm going to tackle a topic that every |
| 0:05.9 | parent feels the weight of. And this is technology and our kids. You know you need a plan. |
| 0:11.0 | You know the stakes are high, but everything is changing so fast that it often feels overwhelming. |
| 0:16.4 | I know this is true for me. I have a 15 year old daughterold daughter still at home, and it's hard to even know |
| 0:20.8 | where to start. The questions are pretty obvious. Should we let our kids practice using |
| 0:25.5 | smartphones while they're still living at home, or should we protect them from these devices |
| 0:30.2 | until they leave? How do we balance freedom and responsibility? And is there actually a simple |
| 0:36.0 | workable solution for parents living in the 21st century? |
| 0:39.3 | My guest today is clinical psychologist Johann D'Souza and he works with teens and families |
| 0:45.0 | on the front lines of this issue. |
| 0:47.2 | We're going to talk honestly about screens, mental health, brain development, and most |
| 0:52.4 | importantly what parents can do right now to shepherd |
| 0:56.4 | their children and protect them. So if you're raising teens or tweens, this conversation is for you. |
| 1:02.1 | This is the Heidi St. John podcast. Stick around. I think you're going joining me today. |
| 1:15.8 | We're being sponsored in part by my friends at the Functional Medical Institute. |
| 1:19.9 | You guys can find out more about them by going to homeschoolhealth.com. |
| 1:23.6 | Don't forget, you can use the coupon code Heidi, H-E-I-D-I for 20% off your entire purchase. They have an array of fantastic things for you guys to look at over there. Check them out, homeschoolhealth.com. All right, really excited for today's guest. I have been on his podcast before, and I love his heart. You guys are going to be so blessed and encouraged by him. |
| 1:47.8 | Johan DeSouza, welcome to the Heidi St. John podcast. I'm glad you're here. |
| 1:49.9 | Thanks for having me, Heidi. Glad to be here. |
| 1:54.3 | This is a really important conversation, so I don't want to jump right into it. From your perspective, as a clinical psychologist, would you say that it's true that we're |
| 2:00.1 | experiencing a teen mental health |
| 2:01.9 | crisis? What are you seeing in your practice? Yeah, absolutely. And we don't have to rely on just |
... |
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