Dear Prudence,
I recently spent a week with my parents for the holidays. We live far apart, and this is the first time we’ve spent extended time together since the pandemic began. I’ve noticed a few signs of what may be the early stages of cognitive decline in my father—memory loss, inattention to detail, poor concentration while performing ordinary tasks such as driving. What concerns me more, however, is that it appears my father has become addicted to his computer, or specifically YouTube. He spends practically every waking hour sitting in his spot on the couch watching YouTube videos. Literally 12 hours per day on average. My mother finds it more annoying that he’s refusing to wear headphones in a common space while he binges, but I’m concerned his YouTube diet may be signs of a bigger problem. Am I overreacting or should I step in to see if he needs help?
— Screentime Suspicious Son