Alum sheds light on perils of media addiction

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

SeiSei Tatebe-Goddu’s ’01 pointed words rippled through a captivated Assembly audience on Friday. The founder of Lights on Labs, which builds and directs public demand for responsible technology, discussed the consequences of media addiction with the exact audience that so many companies target — teenagers.

Tatebe-Goddu noted that the daily average amount of screen time for children in the United States is seven hours. She then extrapolated to show that by the time a student graduates, they will have spent more than a full year of high school looking at a screen. She went on to explain the effects of teens seeking positive affirmations on social media through features such as “likes.”

“You know what seven hours of non-stop dopamine hits leads to?,” she asked rhetorically. “Unsurprisingly it is not healthy teens. Tragically, it is higher rates of suicide among 10-14 year olds and other illness like depression and ADHD.”

Throughout the presentation Tatebe-Goddu used the term “big” to describe the warped sense of self-worth, productivity and success outlets present to impressionable young people. Equally damaging to what’s being consumed by teens online, she argued, is what is being minimized or replaced by kids pursuit of “big.” She turned to the crowd for suggestions, hearing examples like “family,” “friends” and “sleep.”

Tatebe-Goddu, part of the executive committee of Exeter’s General Alumni Association, was on hand as part of Exeter Leadership Weekend. Her campaign, Mothers Against Media Addiction, was launched in February and has quickly developed 17 chapters nationwide and received recognition from tastemakers like Oprah Winfrey.