Fear & Anxiety

Dad working from home with toddler
I’m parenting 4 kids of different ages during the pandemic. How do I help my family balance media-use healthfully in lockdown?
I’m parenting 4 kids of different ages during the pandemic. How do I help my family balance media-use healthfully in lockdown? 1024 462 Mediatrics

Q: My partner and I are parenting three children (ages 3.5, 6 and 10) while staying with my sister and her family, which includes a 19-year-old college student. We’re all in lockdown as my sister is high-risk for coronavirus. The adults are working from home, and some of the kids are remote learning. There are…

read more
Harry Potter Books Movies
Is it ok to read the Harry Potter books to my 10 and 7-year-old and watch the movies?
Is it ok to read the Harry Potter books to my 10 and 7-year-old and watch the movies? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I have been reading the Harry Potter series to my children ages 10 and 7. We’ve read the first and second book and watched the corresponding movies. Both my kids love the series and want to continue reading and watching. I’ve read a lot of varying opinions about the age-appropriateness of both the books…

read more
Media Teens Anxiety Depression
Do today’s media play a role in teen anxiety and depression?
Do today’s media play a role in teen anxiety and depression? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I am working on a project about adolescents in this century. I am curious why there are so many more cases of anxiety and depression within teenage groups these days. Do media play a role in this? Have antidepressants and anxiety medications helped or hurt youth? ~ Stressed Or Saddened, USA A: Dear SOS, Depression…

read more
Girl watching video
My 10-year-old daughter watches female bondage videos online, what should I do?
My 10-year-old daughter watches female bondage videos online, what should I do? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: My 10-year-old daughter recently confessed to watching female bondage videos regularly on YouTube for at least the past year. My question is, do other parents experience this? I understand why she might be curious, but don’t understand why she watches them again and again. She has had a lot of stress-related symptoms, but I…

read more
Three teen girls looking at a fashion magazine
What Can I do to Protect My Kids from Seeing Inappropriate Fashion Catalogues?
What Can I do to Protect My Kids from Seeing Inappropriate Fashion Catalogues? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I recently received the Spring 2015 Catalog from the department store Barneys New York. The catalog was sent to my house without any envelope or sleeve to protect it from being opened by kids, even though it contains pictures that I believe are inappropriate for young children. What can be done to prevent such…

read more
First Person Shooter Games
I’m 14-years old and don’t like playing first-person shooter games like my friends – what should I do?
I’m 14-years old and don’t like playing first-person shooter games like my friends – what should I do? 750 250 Mediatrics

Q: I am 14 years old, and currently debating my choice of friends. They all play first-person shooter (FPS) games, while I choose other kinds of games. They often tell me how great their games are but criticize mine. When they clamor for the new Call of Duty, I freak out over the new Sonic…

read more
How can I help children cope when their losses are being broadcast in the news?
How can I help children cope when their losses are being broadcast in the news? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My youngest daughter is friends with two girls whose mother has been reported missing. The circumstances don’t look very hopeful. I have a background in helping children cope with grief and loss (and teaching others who are helping children cope), but ​other than advising them to stay away from social media, newspapers, and internet (which…

read more
How can I keep my kids from being frightened by scary media this Halloween?
How can I keep my kids from being frightened by scary media this Halloween? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My kids (10 and 7) have been invited to a number of Halloween-themed parties this year that are being held at their schools and at the homes of a few of their friends. Several of these parties will have scary movies, scary music, and in one case (the school’s) a dramatic reading of a…

read more
My 10-year-old-daughter was frightened by a pornographic video, what do I do now?
My 10-year-old-daughter was frightened by a pornographic video, what do I do now? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 10-year-old daughter had a sleepover with 3 friends. It turns out that one of the girls brought a smartphone and pulled up some porn. My daughter is still quite traumatized by what she saw, and my husband and I are trying to figure out how to counsel her. The girls saw three explicitly pornographic…

read more
Should we keep kids away from media after the Boston Marathon bombings?
Should we keep kids away from media after the Boston Marathon bombings? 150 150 Mediatrics

Dear Readers, Our hearts hurt after Monday's explosions at the Boston Marathon. The pain and shock in our community is palpable, and it’s hard to know where to go from here. But there is also a remarkable upsurge of help and love that sprang out of the shadow of this event. The Center on Media…

read more