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Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

TPP 365a: Dr. Alok Kanojia Explains How to Raise Healthy Gamers

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Debbie Reber

Education, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.81K Ratings

🗓️ 10 October 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Where is the line between healthy gaming and unhealthy gaming? How much gaming is too much? And when does a gaming habit evolve into gaming addiction? These are some of the questions regarding screen time that I hear from many parents, and they highlight some of the ongoing challenges families face in raising children who can be responsible tech users and whose screen use and gaming doesn’t interfere with their lives in a way that can be harmful or keep them stuck. So when I learned of the new book How to Raise a Healthy Gamer: End Power Struggles, Break Bad Screen Habits, and Transform Your Relationship with Your Kids by Dr. Alok Kanojia, I knew I wanted to invite him onto the show to talk about all things gaming with us. In this conversation, we talked about how we as parents can know whether our child is addicted to video games or not, why screen time limits and restricting gaming time are at odds with the goal of raising a healthy gamer, and how to shift to a holistic approach that considers overall well-being and goal-setting. We also talked about why children with ADHD are more susceptible to addictive behaviors surrounding gaming and how to raise healthy gamers from a young age. Dr. Alok Kanojia is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist specializing in the intersection of technology x mental health. Also known as ”Dr. K” to millions of people on the internet, Dr.Kanojia is the co-founder of Healthy Gamer, a mental health platform that serves the digital generation. He has inspired millions of people with online content while overseeing the mental health coaching of thousands of young people. He is widely regarded as the foremost expert on video game addiction and most prominent mental health authority for young people. When he’s offline, he’s usually traveling, gardening, or grilling with his family. Things you’ll learn from this episode  How to determine if your child has a gaming addiction, and why it’s important to trust your instincts Why screen time limits and carrot and stick approaches surrounding a child’s gaming is at odds with the goal of raising a healthy gamer Why children with ADHD are more susceptible to addictive behaviors surrounding gaming The importance of engaging in open and non-judgmental communication with your child about their gaming habits and the impact it has on their life How to shift to a holistic approach that considers overall well-being and goal-setting Ideas for proactively creating healthy gaming habits with younger children learn more at https://tiltparenting.com/session365 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, it's Debbie. For the month of October, I'll be sharing some of my favorite past episodes

0:04.5

relating to all things tech and screens. So every Friday this month, you'll find an episode

0:09.6

on your full-tilt parenting feed on topics like gaming, internet rabbit holes, and navigating screen time.

0:15.8

So if your child's relationship with technology is something you're grappling with,

0:20.1

these are for you.

0:21.9

And so when we become unhealthy gamers is when the game is the primary source of our needs fulfillment.

0:31.6

I'm Debbie Reber and welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring,

0:38.3

informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. So I married a gamer, and my 19-year-old

0:44.4

is also a gamer. So I'm no stranger to the reality of video games being a significant part of

0:50.5

daily life. But where's the line between healthy gaming and unhealthy gaming? How much

0:55.7

gaming is too much? And when does a gaming habit evolve into gaming addiction? These are some of the

1:02.1

questions regarding screen time that I hear from many parents. And they highlight some of the

1:07.0

ongoing challenges families face and raising children who can be responsible tech users

1:12.0

and whose screen use and gaming doesn't interfere with their lives in a way that can be harmful

1:17.0

or keep them stuck. So when I learned about the new book, How to Raise a Healthy Gamer,

1:22.8

and Power Struggles, Break Bad Screen Habits, and Transform transform your relationship with your kids by Dr.

1:29.1

Alok Kenogia, I knew I wanted to invite him onto the show to talk about all things gaming

1:34.3

with us. Alok, who goes by the name Dr. K, is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist specializing

1:40.5

in the intersection of technology and mental health, not to mention a recovering gaming addict

1:45.6

himself. He's the co-founder of Healthy Gamer, a mental health platform that serves a digital

1:51.3

generation and is widely regarded as the foremost expert on video game addiction and most

1:56.8

prominent mental health authority for young people. In this conversation, we talked about how we as

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