Harshi Sritharan

Registered Social Worker (RSW)

  • Toronto ON CANADA

Expert in child development, human behaviour, and behaviour modification

Contact

Spotlight

3 min

Expert Available: The Tech Tantrum: What parents can do when screen-time conflict turns explosive at home

It's a recent news story that has captured international attention and  has parents, experts and child care advocates swirling:  US boy, 11, allegedly shoots father to death after Nintendo Switch taken away  If you’re planning a story on screen-time conflict, Harshi, a Digital Dependency therapist, is available for on-the-record comment, rapid written quotes, and short interviews on practical de-escalation and safer screen-limit routines. “The headline is about a device. The deeper story is what happens when a predictable boundary becomes an unplanned confrontation without a de-escalation routine.” Offline.now is a new wellness platform dedicated to helping families achieve healthy digital balance. What Harshi can help journalists cover On-the-record context and practical guidance for stories touching screen-time conflict, including: Why device removal moments can trigger outsized reactions in some kids (transition & regulation) How parents can de-escalate safely without turning limits into power struggles How to design screen rules that rely on systems, not willpower What to do after a blow-up (repair & resetting the plan) When “this-is-bigger-than-screens” and families should seek professional support Insights from our expert Use any of these as on-the-record quotes: Start with regulation, not the rule. “When emotions spike, it’s not a teachable moment. The first goal is to help everyone get calmer, then you can talk boundaries.” Don’t match intensity with intensity. “If you argue, lecture, or negotiate in the heat of the moment, you keep the conflict alive.” Use a short script and stop talking. “Two sentences is enough: ‘I’m not debating this. We’ll talk when we’re calm.’ Then pause. Silence can be a tool.” Avoid surprise confiscations. “Taking a device without warning can feel like an ambush. Predictable routines reduce the power struggle.” Offer an off-ramp, not a cliff. “Transitions are hard. A timer, a closing ritual, and a clear ‘what’s next’ can prevent escalation.” Make boundaries about the system, not the child’s character. “This isn’t ‘you’re bad’ or ‘you’re addicted.’ It’s ‘our home has screen rules and we follow them consistently.’” Repair matters more than punishment. “After a blow-up, repair is the reset name what happened, reset the plan, and practice the next transition.” Know when this is bigger than screens. “If threats, aggression, or extreme reactions show up, that’s a signal to seek professional support not just enforce a stricter rule.” What parents can do right now Create a neutral device ‘parking spot.’ Devices live in one predictable place (not a tug-of-war in someone’s hand). Use a consistent transition routine. When time’s up, share a  “shut it down” cue, park the device, and then move on to a 2-minute action (teeth, pajamas, snack, shower). Pick one calm script and repeat it verbatim. “I’m not debating this. We’ll talk when we’re calm.” (Then disengage and model calm.) Important context Harshi does not speculate about individuals involved in the news story and does not claim that gaming or screens “cause” violent behavior. Her focus is on what families can do before conflicts escalate using practical de-escalation tools, predictable routines, and supportive repair strategies.

Harshi Sritharan

3 min

Always On, Never Present: How Work Takes Over Your Life

In many workplaces, being “good at your job” has quietly become synonymous with being constantly reachable. Slack on the laptop, email on the phone, DMs on every platform and a creeping expectation that you’ll answer “just one more thing” at night, on weekends, and even on vacation. Psychotherapist Harshi Sritharan, MSW, RSW and Offline.now founder Eli Singer say this culture is pushing knowledge workers into a state of continuous partial attention: always connected, never fully present. “Most of my high-performing clients don’t have a time-management problem,” says Sritharan. “They have a boundary problem — and their phones are the device enforcing it. Every ping is a tiny dose of dopamine and a tiny spike of stress, and their nervous system never really shuts off.” Research on digital and media multitasking backs up what she sees clinically. Studies have linked frequent task-switching between apps and notifications to: Reduced sustained attention and working memory Slower task performance and more errors Greater mental fatigue and perceived stress Neuroscience and cognition papers also describe how multitasking conditions the brain to seek novelty and micro-rewards, making it harder to tolerate the “boredom” of deep work — exactly the kind of focus most knowledge jobs actually require. Singer argues that the issue isn’t just individual burnout; it’s organizational self-sabotage. Offline.now’s behavioral data show that people now spend about 10 of their 16 waking hours on screens — roughly 63% of the day — and that 8 in 10 want a healthier relationship with tech but feel too overwhelmed to know where to start. “We’ve built workplaces that confuse constant availability with value,” Singer says. “But when you look at the cognitive science, an always-on culture is actually an anti-productivity policy. ‘Do Not Disturb’ isn’t a luxury — it’s the competitive advantage most teams are missing.” The term “continuous partial attention” coined to describe the state of being perpetually attuned to the possibility of new information has been linked in emerging research and commentary to chronic stress, shallow thinking, and emotional exhaustion in modern knowledge work. “The moment you stop treating rest and focus as perks and start treating them as infrastructure, everything changes,” Singer says. “Teams ship better work, people make fewer mistakes, and employees don’t feel like they have to burn their nervous system to keep their job.” For journalists covering work culture, productivity, burnout, or the future of work, this story connects the dots between work apps, multitasking science and mental health and offers a concrete alternative to the “always on” norm. Featured Experts Harshi Sritharan, MSW, RSW – Psychotherapist specializing in ADHD, anxiety, burnout and digital dependency. She helps high-achieving professionals understand how constant notifications, late-night work and screen habits disrupt dopamine, sleep, and emotional regulation — and what sustainable boundaries actually look like. Eli Singer – Founder of Offline.now and author of Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance. He brings proprietary behavioral data on digital overwhelm, the Offline.now Matrix framework, and case examples of organizations reframing “Do Not Disturb” as a strategic asset, not a sign of disengagement. Expert interviews can be arranged through the Offline.now media team.

Harshi SritharanEli Singer

3 min

Sleep Is the First Casualty of Your Screen Habit

Everyone says they want to “sleep better” in the new year. Most start with new pillows, supplements or blackout curtains while the biggest sleep disruptor in the room is still glowing inches from their face. Digital wellness platform Offline.now, founded by author and strategist Eli Singer, has found that we now spend about 10 of our 16 waking hours on screens, roughly 63% of our day. Psychotherapist Harshi Sritharan, MSW, RSW, who specializes in ADHD and modern anxiety, says sleep is often the first system to collapse under that load. Harshi explains that phones and screens emit blue light that hits the retinal ganglion cells in our eyes and tells the brain it’s time to be alert, the opposite of what we need at night: “When we’re leaning towards using our phones right before bed, that blue light hits our system and says, ‘We should be awake.’ It disrupts our circadian rhythm. For people with ADHD or other neurodiversity, whose rhythms are already fragile, adding late-night screen exposure completely throws things off.” She notes that exposure between roughly 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. is particularly damaging for stress and sleep regulation, leaving people “tired all the time throughout the day.” Morning habits can be just as destructive. Sritharan warns that checking your phone first thing essentially programs your brain to chase distraction: “Don’t be on your phone first thing in the morning — it hijacks your attention and your dopamine for the rest of the day. After that kind of stimulation, everything else feels harder and less interesting.” She also calls the snooze button “a pattern that’s making us more tired,” because it fragments REM sleep instead of helping us feel rested. The good news: the data suggests you don’t need a perfect digital detox to see real benefits. A JAMA Network Open study on young adults found that reducing social media use for just one week, not quitting entirely; led to about a 24.8% drop in depression, 16.1% drop in anxiety, and 14.5% improvement in insomnia symptoms. Singer argues that the real barrier isn’t willpower, it’s confidence. Offline.now’s research shows 8 in 10 people want a healthier relationship with tech, but more than half feel too overwhelmed to know where to start. “When people tell us they feel overwhelmed, it’s not laziness. It’s a crisis of confidence,” says Singer. “Lasting change doesn’t require deleting Instagram or TikTok tomorrow. You need to win one personal victory today, and then another tomorrow. That’s how confidence rebuilds.” For journalists covering sleep, mental health, or digital dependency, this story connects the dots between phones, dopamine and insomnia and offers a realistic alternative to the all-or-nothing “digital detox.” Featured Experts Harshi Sritharan, MSW, RSW – Psychotherapist specializing in ADHD, anxiety, insomnia and digital dependency. She explains how blue light, dopamine cycles and “doomscrolling before bed” undermine sleep, especially for neurodivergent clients. Eli Singer – Founder of Offline.now and author of Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance. He speaks to the behavioral data behind digital overwhelm, the confidence gap, and the Offline.now Matrix that turns vague resolutions into actionable micro-steps. Expert interviews can be arranged through the Offline.now media team.

Harshi SritharanEli Singer
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Biography

Harshi Sritharan is a registered Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She specializes in working with individuals across the lifespan from childhood to adulthood, in neurological disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Learning Disabilities, Anxiety, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

She has spent the early part of her career implementing behavioural techniques within clinics, homes, as well as public and private schools. Harshi has implemented treatment and program planning for individuals with ASD while coordinating and providing support in school classrooms. Seh also supports parents, providing neurodivergent parenting strategies to implement within the home. Harshi has also created a parent training program for parents whose children have recently been diagnosed with ASD and helped parents teach their children communication, social interaction and joint attention skills.

Harshi completed two undergraduate degrees at McMaster University in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, and Sociology. She then went on to pursue a post-graduate certificate in Autism and Behavioural Science and a certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Following this, Harshi completed her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Windsor.

Harshi has a passion for working with individuals and helping them reach their behavioural, social and emotional goals. Her expertise in child development, human behaviour, and behaviour modification using the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis helps her create treatment plans and strategies to help support individuals and families with ASD, ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions.

While working directly with youth at her previous agencies, she found there to be a lack of support for families and difficulty addressing the barriers, stressors and emotional challenges that families were facing. Thus, Harshi strives to bring knowledge and awareness of neuroscience differences, available resources and the mental health disorders that co-exist with ASD and ADHD.

Harshi likes to work with the whole family to provide a comprehensive service to foster growth and positive change within the whole environment and family system. Harshi uses a combination of strengths-based, client-centred approaches using cognitive, behavioural, and mindfulness therapies while working with clients, to help them become their best selves.

Areas of Expertise

Human Behaviour
Learning Strategies‎
Behavior Therapy
Learning Disabilities
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Autism (ASD)
Anxiety and Mood Disorders
Organizational Behavior
Neurodevelopmental Conditions

Affiliations

  • Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers
  • Ontario Association of Social Work

Education

University of Windsor

M.S.W

Social Work

2021

LivingWorks

Certificate

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

2017

Safe Management Group Inc.

Certificate

Safe Management Training

2017

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Event Appearances

Mind-Body Connection

Women's Employee Resource Group (ERG) for the National Logistics Services (NLS) Conference  

Articles

ADHD & Time Blindness: How do we address this?

Offline.now Blog

2025

Time blindness is a common yet often misunderstood challenge for individuals with ADHD. It goes beyond poor time management: impacting focus, planning, and emotional regulation. The ADHD brain naturally gravitates toward immediate stimulation, making delayed rewards difficult to conceptualize. Research highlights that effective support requires a multifaceted approach, blending cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and environmental strategies. By reframing time perception and building layered systems, individuals with ADHD can better manage productivity and daily routines.

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Partnerships

Educating teachers, set-up with principal

Lynn-Rose College

Private school in Mississauga

Courses

Peak Performance

o 12-week structured program
o Psychoeducation of both ADHD and Anxiety
o Each week targets different areas of success, like building routines, focusing on sleep, diet and movement.
o We go over all areas of executive functioning, discuss emotional regulation, and mindset, and there are add-on sessions available as well for boundary setting, social skills and interpersonal relationships, self-esteem and confidence.

Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy Fundamentals

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