Children and Media: Tips for Parents
By: American Academy of Pediatrics
In a world where children are "growing up digital," it's important to help them learn healthy concepts of digital use and citizenship. Parents play an important role in teaching these skills. Here are a few tips from the AAP to help parents manage the digital landscape they're exploring with their children.
1.Treat media as you would any other environment in your child's life
The same parenting guidelines apply in both real and virtual environments. Set limits; kids need and expect them. Know your children's friends, both online and off. Know what platforms, software, and apps your children are using, where they are going on the web, and what they are doing online.
2.Set limits and encourage playtime
Tech use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits. Unstructured and offline play stimulates creativity. Make unplugged playtime a daily priority, especially for very young children. And — don't forget to join your children in unplugged play whenever you're able.
3.Families who play together, learn together
Family participation is also great for media activities — it encourages social interactions, bonding, and learning. Play a video game with your kids. It's a good way to demonstrate good sportsmanship and gaming etiquette. And, you can introduce and share your own life experiences and perspectives — and guidance — as you play the game.
4.Be a good role model
Teach and model kindness and good manners online. And, because children are great mimics, limit your own media use. In fact, you'll be more available for and connected with your children if you're interacting, hugging and playing with them rather than simply staring at a screen.
5.Know the value of face-to-face communication
Very young children learn best through two-way communication. Engaging in back-and-forth "talk time" is critical for language development. Conversations can be face-to-face or, if necessary, by video chat, with a traveling parent or far-away grandparent. Research has shown that it's that "back-and-forth conversation" that improves language skills — much more so than "passive" listening or one-way interaction with a screen.
6.Create tech-free zones
Keep family mealtimes and other family and social gatherings tech-free. Recharge devices overnight — outside your child's bedroom to help children avoid the temptation to use them when they should be sleeping. These changes encourage more family time, healthier eating habits, and better sleep, all critical for children's wellness.
7.Don't use technology as an emotional pacifier
Media can be very effective in keeping kids calm and quiet, but it should not be the only way they learn to calm down. Children need to be taught how to identify and handle strong emotions, come up with activities to manage boredom, or calm down through breathing, talking about ways to solve the problem, and finding other strategies for channeling emotions.
8.Apps for kids: do your homework
More than 80,000 apps are labeled as educational, but little research has demonstrated their actual quality. Products pitched as "interactive" should require more than "pushing and swiping." Look to organizations like Common Sense Media for reviews about age-appropriate apps, games and programs to guide you in making the best choices for your children.
9.It's okay for your teen to be online
Online relationships are part of typical adolescent development. Social media can support teens as they explore and discover more about themselves and their place in the grown-up world. Just be sure your teen is behaving appropriately in both the real and online worlds. Many teens need to be reminded that a platform's privacy settings do not make things actually "private" and that images, thoughts, and behaviors teens share online will instantly become a part of their digital footprint indefinitely. Keep lines of communication open and let them know you're there if they have questions or concerns.
10.Remember — kids will be kids
Kids will make mistakes using media. Try to handle errors with empathy and turn a mistake into a teachable moment. But some indiscretions, such as sexting, bullying, or posting self-harm images, may be a red flag that hints at trouble ahead. Parents should take a closer look at your child's behaviors and, if needed, enlist supportive professional help, including from your pediatrician.
Media and digital devices are an integral part of our world today. The benefits of these devices, if used moderately and appropriately, can be great. But, research has shown that face-to-face time with family, friends, and teachers, plays a pivotal and even
AAP: When Your Kids Should — and Shouldn't — Use Digital Media
Author Beata Mostafavi
October 21, 2016 7:00 AM
In a new position statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics explains how parents and children should use digital devices.
It’s not so bad to hand your child an iPad once in a while, depending on how it’s used.
Playing a game together or Skyping with Grandma? That’s OK.
SEE ALSO: How and Why to Set Effective Limits for Your Kids
Helping your little one calm down or trying to keep peace in the house? Not so much.
New guidelines announced by the American Academy of Pediatrics say parents need to pay attention not only to the amount of time children spend on digital media — but also to how, when and where they use it.
For children ages 2 to 5, media should be limited to one hour a day, the statement says, and it should involve high-quality programming or something parents and kids can view or engage with together. With the exception of video chatting, digital media should also be avoided in children younger than 18 months.
“Digital media has become an inevitable part of childhood for many infants, toddlers and preschoolers, but research is limited on how this affects their development,” says one of the lead authors of the statement, Jenny Radesky, M.D., a developmental behavioral expert and pediatrician at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
Radesky co-authored the statement for children up to age 5 with Dimitri A. Christakis, M.D., M.P.H., of Seattle Children’s Hospital. The AAP also put out a separate policy statement the same day for older kids (ages 6 to teenage).
“In children over 3, the research is solid: High-quality programs like ‘Sesame Street’ can teach kids new ideas. However, under 3, toddlers’ immature brains have a hard time transferring what they see on a screen to real-life knowledge,” Radesky says. “We don’t yet know if interactivity helps or hinders that process.”
“What we do know is that early childhood is a time of rapid brain development, when children need time to play, sleep, learn to handle emotions, and build relationships. Research still suggests that excessive media use can get in the way of these important activities. Our statement highlights ways families and pediatricians can help manage a healthy balance.”
Why limit screen time?
Too much time using digital media in the wrong way is linked to children’s quality of sleep, development and physical health, the statement notes. (Heavy media use in preschool is associated with small but significant increases in body mass index.)
SEE ALSO: Hospital Magicians Conjure Magic Moments at Mott
The guidelines recommend banning digital media use an hour before bed, turning off devices when not in use and keeping bedrooms, mealtimes and parent-child playtime screen-free.
Although there are specific instances when using digital media as a soothing tool is helpful, such as on airplanes or during medical procedures, parents should avoid using media as the only way to calm down children, authors note. Using devices as a common soothing strategy may limit children’s ability to regulate their emotions, Radesky says.
“We have to be realistic about the ubiquity of digital media use. It is becoming ingrained in our culture and daily life. For this reason, it is even more important that parents help their children understand the healthy ways to use media from the earliest ages,” Radesky says.
“Video chatting with grandparents, watching science videos together, putting on streaming music and dancing together, looking up new recipes or craft ideas, taking pictures and videos to show each other, having a family movie night … these are just a few ways media can be used as a tool to support family connection,” Radesky says.
Radesky says it is crucial that adults interact with children during use, to help young children apply what they’re seeing on the screen to the world around them. Research shows that for the youngest children — ages 18 to 36 months — this is essential, she says.
Authors acknowledge that well-designed TV programs such as “Sesame Street” may help improve literacy and social outcomes for children ages 3 to 5. But many apps parents find under the “educational” category are not evidence-based and include little input from developmental educators.
Parents may want to limit their own screen time, too, the authors say. Heavy parent use of mobile devices is associated with fewer verbal and nonverbal interactions between parents and children and may be associated with more parent-child conflict.
Pediatricians are also encouraged to help parents be “media mentors” — role models and guides for how to pick good digital content. Doctors have an opportunity to educate families about brain development in the early years and the importance of hands-on social play for language cognitive and social emotional skills. They can also guide parents to resources for finding quality products.
“Pediatricians have the opportunity to start conversations with parents early about family media use and habits,” Radesky says. “We can help parents develop media use plans for their homes, set limits and encourage them to use devices with their children in a way that promotes enhanced learning and greater interaction.”
The takeaways
Here’s a breakdown of the new AAP guidelines for parents of children up to 5:
- Avoid digital media use (except video chatting) in children younger than 24 months.
- Do not feel pressured to introduce technology early. Interfaces are so intuitive that children will figure them out quickly once they start using them.
For children ages 2 to 5, limit screen use to one hour a day of high-quality programming. Watch with your children and help them understand what they are seeing. - Avoid fast-paced programs and apps with lots of distracting content or violence.
- Turn off TVs and other devices when not in use
- Avoid using media as the only way to calm your child. This could lead to problems with setting limits and affect the child’s ability to self-soothe and regulate emotions.
- Test apps before your child uses them, and play together.
- Keep bedrooms, mealtimes and parent-child playtimes screen-free. Parents can set a “do not disturb” option on their phones during these times.
- Set a rule: No screen time an hour before bed.
- Use resources such as Common Sense Media, PBS Kids and Sesame Workshop for finding quality products.
- Consult the American Academy of Pediatrics family media use plan.
- Ask your pediatrician if you need help.