April 2022
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Family Guide to Video Gaming
A quarter of teens believe they spend too much time playing video games, while a similar share feels they spend too little time doing so. Learn about the effects, both good and bad, of video games on children and how you can help your child have a healthy relationship with gaming.
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What To Do When… Your teen seems to prefer spending time online than with their family or “real world” friends
If it seems like your teen would rather spend time on their phone than with their family or even their IRL friends, you’re not alone. It’s normal for adolescents to prefer time with their social group over time with family, but there are some conversations you can have to help your teen create more balance…
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What To Do When… It’s time to move your young child away from a screen
For parents of young children who struggle to take away tablets or phones or to turn off beloved TV shows without inciting tantrums, we offer strategies and conversation starters to help make the transitions easier.
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What To Do When… You want to teach your child how to play games with rules
Interactive games support your child’s development of reading, communication, and math skills. They also offer a great opportunity to build your child’s social emotional competencies. We offer strategies for conversations while you’re playing games together, to maximize the fun and learning.
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Family Guide to Creating Shared Media Use Agreements
This guide offers strategies and resources for creating effective shared media use agreements with children of all ages.
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What To Do When… You discover a caregiver is using more media with your child than you’re comfortable with
It’s not uncommon for daycares, babysitters, and other caregivers to use media and screens to entertain children during the day. We offer strategies for parents who want to address their children’s use of media within these settings without feeling judgemental.
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Ask the Experts: Toddlers and Background Noise
In this installment of Ask the Mediatrician, we offer a parent of a toddler guidance regarding the impacts of background media — TV, music, etc. — on their child’s development.
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Ask the Experts: Teens, Photos, and Online Privacy
The Mediatrician offers a parent of a teenager strategies to support her daughter’s healthy and safe use of photo sharing on social media.
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Ask the Experts: Gradeschoolers and Video Games
In this installment of Ask the Mediatrician, we talk about strategies for supporting a school age child’s healthy use of video games.
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What To Do When… You’re not sure how to talk to your young child about media
It may feel awkward, but talking to babies and toddlers about media can help to build their communication and social emotional skills while developing their healthy engagement with technology and media. We offer strategies for talking to your pre-verbal child about what they’re seeing on a screen.
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Family Guide to Media Literacy & Social-Emotional Learning
What is media literacy, and why is it important? Media literacy is the ability to consume, engage with, and create media critically (e.g., identifying fake information on social media and assessing its impact). Media literacy is important because: As children engage with media, they can develop their critical thinking skills; Media literacy can promote positive…
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What To Do When… You’re concerned your child is being cyberbullied
Studies indicate that 20-40% of children experience cyberbullying, with the prevalence higher for girls and LGBTQIA children. In this post, we provide suggestions for conversation starters to address your concerns with your child in a way that helps them to speak openly and without feeling shame.
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What To Do When… You see inappropriate content on your teen’s social media page
We offer strategies and conversation starters for parents who find inappropriate content — such as drug or alcohol use, hateful language, or sexually explicit photos — on their child’s social media.
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Ask the Experts: Teens and Bingewatching and Doomscrolling
In this installment of Ask the Mediatrician, we offer a parent of a teenager strategies to help him break the mindless habit of staying up all night binge watching and doomscrolling and otherwise losing sleep by spending time mindlessly online.
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Ask the Experts: Middle Schoolers and R-Rated Movies
In this installment of Ask the Mediatrician, we offer a parent guidance for what to do when her middle-schooler is begging to see an R-rated movie all his friends have already seen.