Techie Tots: Interactive vs. Interaction

by Stephanie Dunnewind | Seattle Times | December 11, 2004


With an onslaught of preschool video games on the market, parents and researchers wonder whether they’re the best way for children to be spending their time.

Dr. Michael Rich
, Director of CMCH, says “The question parents need to ask is not ‘Is this more educational than Mickey Mouse?’ but ‘Is this more educational than other activities?’”



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Immunize your children against health dangers of TV

by Darshak Sanghavi | Boston Globe | December 7, 2004


“Borrowing the language of public health, the FCC and others argue that even a single exposure to such language and
undress [on television] is a dangerous toxin for children, like lead in paint. Unfortunately, our relying on these groups to
protect children from media is misguided, since they’re addressing the wrong problem. The danger isn’t the
occasional F-word or exposed breast, but the other messages encouraging unhealthy behavior.


The solution relies on teaching children how to deconstruct media and consume it critically —
thus making them ‘media-literate.’ ‘Making children aware of how they are manipulated, writes
Dr. Michael Rich
, Director of CMCH, in a medical journal, ‘functions as a ‘mind condom,’
a barrier method [which protects] against the unhealthy influences of media.’”

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