LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Metro police said an argument over taking away an electronic device could be the reason a 15-year-old boy shot and killed his father.
The shooting happened just a few days after Christmas near Rainbow and Lake Mead. FOX5 wanted to know how a common form of discipline could turn violent.
Technology and electronics are all around and its always been a part of Kimberely McGee’s twins lives.
“Our thing is trying to make it manageable and have them understand that there’s boundaries and there’s good ways to use screen time,” McGee explained.
“There’s no denying that,” agreed child psychiatrist Dr. Sid Khurana. “Schoolwork, homework, connection with friends, lots of things happen through screens.”
Those same electronics are what police say led a teenager behind bars, facing a life sentence if he’s tried as an adult. His next court date is at the end of February.
Without talking specifically about that case, Dr. Khurana explained more and more kids have become dependent on electronic devices. Screen addiction comes up in his practice everyday.
“Our teenagers are getting increasingly addicted to the screentime and taking that away is literally taking away alcohol or substance of choice,” Dr. Khurana said.
A 2022 study called Preventive Interventions for Internet Addiction in Young Children found nearly 14 percent of children were addicted to the internet. An earlier Common Sense Media survey discovered a third of parents and teens said they argue with each other daily about device use. It’s occasionally caused arguments between McGee and her children.
“We want them to be a big part of all of the decisions that we’re making,” McGee added. “This is not an edict from us. We do put out foot down a lot and the tantrums, it’s like they turn 2 again.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, screens can cause the reward center in the brain to release the feel-good hormone, dopamine, which can keep kids coming back to their screens. The more time kids go back to their screens, the more dopamine is released. Dr. Khurana said screen addiction is fairly new, only becoming an issue in the last decade. Parents now aren’t prepared for it because generations before didn’t teach them about it.
“This has become a huge problem and it’s a problem that our generation is not prepared for,” Dr. Khurana added.
Now, Dr. Khurana acknowledged most kids are not driven to kill their parents over an electronic device. Family dynamics, upbringing, mood and anger problems on top of undiagnosed psychiatric disorders like ADHD can help lead a child to dangerous behavior.
“Sometimes it is the creation of that perfect or imperfect storm that leads to these extreme acts of violence and aggression.”
A Common Sense Media survey found one out of every two teens said they were addicted to their electronic devices. McGee noticed a change in her teens relationship to screens after the pandemic.
“It’s great but getting them out of the house and off screen time is a lot harder than it ever used to be.”
Dr. Khurana started seeing screen addiction in his practice about 10 years ago. It got significantly worse after COVID-19 forced us to move work and school online.
“That necessity has become an evil and has become the shape of addiction,” Dr. Khurana said.
That comes with serious consequences. A 2022 study called Increased Screen Time as a Cause of Declining Physical, Psychological Health, and Sleep Patterns found constant exposure to devices like smartphones, computers and TV can increase stress and anxiety in children. A different study published in Preventive Medicine Reports found kids who spent more time in front of a screen showed less curiosity, self-control and emotional stability. They were also more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression than kids who had less screen time.
“We still can’t completely get rid of it,” Dr. Khurana added. “We need to learn to live with it which makes it even harder.”
Dr. Khurana pointed out some signs of screen addiction parents can look for in their children.
“They want to miss other activities because they want to be on their screen,” Dr. Khurana continued. “They lie about it. They minimize their screen use. They try to go around parental rules and break into those filters and barriers to get access to it.”
If those signs look familiar, he said there are ways to help children break free from screen addiction. It starts with a conversation and rules, just like what McGee did with her children.
“Come up with a plan and let everybody sign on to. lead with an example and have clear expectations of what is allowed and what is not okay,” Dr. Khurana explained.
When those rules are broken, don’t take the devices away as punishment. Instead, Dr. Khurana recommends taking away the device’s abilities by turning the internet off or turning parental controls on.
“Our experience has been taking away the device seems a violation to the teenagers. That serves as a trigger which illicit a much bigger aggressive response than turning off the permissions,” Dr. Khurana continued.
If a child response aggressively, Dr. Khurana recommends counseling, just like what McGee did with her children.
“They are exploring more of their anxiety when away from screen time, away from the computer,” said McGee. “The therapist and I talk about that often, too. Screen are here to stay but it needs to be managed.”
Dr. Khurana doesn’t believe money should be a barrier to mental health help. He said Nevada Mental Health offers low cost options.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
