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.