Parenting the “Plugged In” Child

WHAT’S NEW (AND NOT SO NEW) IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA

Rideout (2010)

Is Media Harmful?

May be associated with obesity, sleep disturbance (See AAP Council on Communications and Media, 2011 report)

May be linked to depression/emotional problems (e.g., Page, Cooper, Griew & Jago, 2010)

May interfere with developmentally critical activities

May interfere with family life

Benefits of Youth Media Use

Connect with friends

Broaden community

Enhance creative thinking

Foster sense of identity

Supplement learning

Increase access to information

O’Keefe & Clarke-Pearson (2011)

It’s all about BALANCE.

Common Challenges

Lack of comfort with new media

Knowing what limits to set

Challenges to setting limits

Lack of Comfort with New Media

Learn as much as possible “Terms of Use”, “Safety” features www.netlingo.com, www.noslang.com www.netsmartz.org, www.parentfurther.com

Ask your child to teach you!

Setting Limits

Promote Health Positive behavior Emotional wellbeing

Protect against: Cyber-bullying Access to inappropriate content

Recommendations from the AAP

Infants < 2 years: 0 hours of screen time/day

Children > 2 years: <2 hours of screen time/day

Avoid TV sets and internet connections in bedrooms

Co-view with children

Limit nighttime screen media use

AAP Council on Communications and Media (2011)

Setting Limits

Modeling Healthy media use (and balance) Good citizenship (e.g., abiding by the rules)

Direct Conversation

Provide Alternatives Including activities for the whole family to enjoy

Monitoring

Challenges to Setting Limits

Dealing with protest

Helping children find value in other activities

When to Seek Outside Help

Concerns for cyber-bullying

Change in your child’s: Mood Enjoyment of non-media activities Sleep Grades/school performance Behavior Ability to participate in family life

References

American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media (2011). Policy statement: children, adolescents, obesity and the media. Pediatrics, 128(1), 201-208. www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2011-10660

O’Keefe, G.W. & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011). Clinical Report: The impact of social media on children, adolescents and families. Pediatrics, 127 (4), 800-804.http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/03/28/peds.2011-0054

Page, A.S., Cooper, A.R., Griew, P. & Jago, R. (2010). Children’s screen viewing is related to psychological difficulties irrespective of physical activity. Pediatrics, 126(5), 1011 -1017).

Rideout V. (2010). Generation M2: Media in theLives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds. Kaiser Family Foundation: Menlo Park, CA.