Dr. Shimi Kang

The 2022 Casey Fellow speaker, Dr. Shimi Kang, spoke on Our Brains, Bodies, Behaviours, and Tech: How to Maximize the Benefits and Minimize the Risks. At this virtual talk, Dr. Kang provided practical strategies to harness the power of technology, while avoiding potential long-term damage. 

In her latest book, The Tech Solution: Creating Healthy Habits for Kids Growing Up in A Digital World, Dr. Shimi Kang describes technology as the “fire of our time”, recognizing that harnessing the power of fire was a major step in human evolution. We are at the same pivotal point in human history with the power of technology. At the same time, technology, gaming and social media use are increasingly being linked to anxiety and depression, and Internet Addiction Disorder has now become an official medical diagnosis.

Dr. Shimi Kang outlined how to optimize our health, connection, and innovation while steering clear of the serious dangers of persuasive design, addiction, and toxic tech. By simplifying sophisticated neuroscience into the five ingredients of a “tech diet”, Kang provided a solution to one of the most vexing issues of our time.