ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Can gaming addiction push kids toward serious mental health crises? Does social media influence increase vulnerability to anxiety and depression in teens? To answer these questions, we are joined by Dr. Bhavna Barmi and Anshu Bedi. Dr. Bhavna Barmi is a Senior Clinical and Child Psychologist and the founder of Happiness Studio. Anshu Bedi is a teacher at Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School with over 32 years of experience mentoring preteens. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Dr. Bhavna Barmi explains that signs of stress or distress in children should never be ignored. Anshu Bedi talks about how many parents today expect perfection from their children and stresses that this can leave them unprepared for real-world challenges. 00:00 – Introduction 01:04 – Mental Health Challenges Among Kids 07:32 – Holistic Development of Children 11:32 – Attention Span Issues in Students 15:07 – Modern Parent-Teacher Connections 18:10 – Bullying and Peer Pressure 21:27 – Emotional Signals in Children 25:13 – Academic Stress in Children 29:50 – Reduced Family Interaction on Children 34:36 – Consequences of Body Shaming 40:38 – Happiness Clinics & Mental Health Support 42:54 – Social Media Impact on Young Minds 49:52 – Current Parenting Challenges 1:05:56 – Emotional Stress in Counsellors