How can research help you make everyday decisions?

• April 4, 2014

Dear Readers,

I would like to share with you an editorial that I had the opportunity to author for JAMA-Pediatrics this week. I focus on the questions we face about our children’s use of media, which continue to be confusing, sometimes overwhelming, and often leave parents feeling guilty about their choices rather than with the information they need to make informed decisions. In this piece, I propose to shift the debate away from what we think is right and wrong to how the scientific research shows we are changed by the media we use and how we use them.

I urge my fellow pediatricians and child development professionals to move beyond restricting media to:

• Inform parents what works best for children’s health and development
• Balance the message – used in focused and mindful ways, media can be positive for children’s health and development as part of a rich and diverse menu if experience, used mindlessly, it can have negative effects on physical, mental and social health
• How media affect children’s health varies with which media are used, how they’re used, and with whom they’re used

To read more, see the piece here: http://bit.ly/1hEavm5

What advice or information have you, as a parent or caregiver, found helpful when making decisions about how to handle media in raising your children? How do you make decisions about when and how to use which media and when not to? Join me in this conversation on our Facebook page and through Twitter. I hope to see you there!

Enjoy your media and use them wisely,
The Mediatrician®