While it took Odysseus 10 years to return home, our Parent Institute: Odyssey of Discovery will come to you monthly through remainder of the school year, starting on October 16. Each virtual webinar will feature a 60-minute session with gifted experts, followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. 

Be sure to join us live to connect with other parents and ask questions that are specific to your family's journey—it's the perfect opportunity to get the personalized insights you need. Don't miss this chance to engage in real-time and have your voice heard!

Please join us for our book six of our own Odyssey of Discovery!

Gifted Gen Z: Social Media, Porn, And Video Games: Can’t Live Without Them, Can’t Thrive With Them

Dr. Paul Beljan and Dr. Vanessa Behrens, Beljan Psychological Services

It is said of gifted children and teenagers that, “Anything worth feeling is worth over feeling, and anything worth doing is worth over doing.” The pitfalls of this gifted way of being will be discussed in context to Generation Z (Gen Z), social media, technology, and pornography. It has been documented that males and females began expressing epidemic levels of depression, anxiety, and low motivation since the release of the iPhone in 2010. This presentation examines how the change in technology has changed and challenged childhood and adolescent development. It will examine the ‘hows and whys’ of declines in mental health, social connections, sleep, and attention with an emphasis on gifted and gender differences. Various topics include the loss of the play-based childhood, fear-based parenting, the lack of interpersonal socialization, and negative effects regarding pornography ease of access. The presentation will finish with logical suggestions for how to help support our children and improve their mental health.

AAGT is excited to offer these webinar sessions as a free resource to our members and supporters of the gifted and talented community. Please consider making a small donation at registration to help us continue providing high-quality speakers and sharing these important messages with parents across Arizona.

Register Today