Teen Screen Addiction Test: Screening Questions for Parents

Teen Screen Addiction Test: Screening Questions for Parents

There is no formal diagnostic test for "screen addiction," because it isn't currently recognised as a standalone clinical diagnosis. What follows is a practical way to assess whether your teen's screen use has moved from normal (if intense) teenage behaviour into a pattern worth addressing.

Step 1: Compulsive use and disengagement

• Does your teen reach for their phone or device automatically, even without deciding to?
• Do they struggle to stop a session, even when they've said they want to?
• Have they told you, unprompted, that they wish they used screens less?

Step 2: Sleep and daily function

• Is bedtime consistently delayed because of screen use?
• Does screen use affect their mood or attention when they're off-screen?
• Have they withdrawn from offline activities, friendships, or hobbies they used to enjoy?

The Raising Children Network links late-night screen use to delayed sleep onset and shorter overall sleep, which can then affect mood and concentration the next day.

Step 3: Family conflict

• Do arguments about screen rules and limits happen regularly in your household?
• Do agreed rules and limits routinely break down despite being clear?

Interpreting your responses

If Steps 1 and 2 resonate strongly, and especially if your teen has expressed their own frustration with the pattern, hypnotherapy may be a useful complementary tool alongside a family media plan. If the picture is mainly Step 3 (rule conflict without the compulsive or sleep-disruption elements), a family strategies approach, such as the ones described by Raising Children Network, may be the better first step before considering clinical support.

When to look beyond screens

If screen use is accompanied by low mood, withdrawal from all social contact (not just online), or any signs of self-harm, see a GP rather than focusing on the screen time itself. Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) and headspace (1800 650 890) offer free, confidential support for young people.

Next steps

Take the teen screens screening quiz →

Read: What is teen screen addiction? →

Explore teen screen habits treatment at Norwest Wellbeing →

FAQ

Is "screen addiction" a real diagnosis? Not in the formal sense. It describes a distressing pattern of use, which is real and worth addressing even without a clinical label.

Does my teen need to agree to hypnotherapy for it to work? Ideally yes. Hypnotherapy works best when the teen has identified the habit as something they themselves want to change.

What Australian guideline should we aim for? The national 24-hour movement guidelines recommend no more than 2 hours of sedentary recreational screen time a day for ages 5 to 17, not counting schoolwork, as a general benchmark rather than a strict rule.

Who books the sessions? A parent or guardian for under-16s; teens 16 and 17 can book with consent arrangements set out in our knowledge base.