December 8, 2017
Q: I recently read about Facebook’s new messenger app for kids. My kids, who are 6 and 9, have their own smartphones and currently use them for calling/texting only (I think). We’ve avoided using social media apps, as I worry about the content and protecting their privacy. Is Facebook’s new app a good “gateway” app […]
November 21, 2017
Q: My 17 year-old son spends 4-5 hours at a time on YouTube, clicking endlessly from one sports comedy show to another. He is doing okay in high school, but will binge-watch or follow links from site to site until the wee hours. I can’t get him to put the phone or laptop down. I […]
August 21, 2017
Q: My 16 year old daughter is obsessed with Instagram and constantly taking pictures to share on the app. I recently discovered that she has two accounts…one of which she calls her “Finstagram” and says she only allows her closest friends to follow her (I follow her on her more “popular” account). While I understand it’s […]
July 31, 2017
Es En Espanol Q: I recently read that a young woman was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for texting a friend to kill himself. I find this case incredibly concerning because the girl who was convicted was only 17 at the time and my own teens text each other in ways that could be easily misinterpreted. For example, […]
June 16, 2017
Q: My 14 year old son keeps singing Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You, around the house, in the car, at the dinner table, etc. He loves to sing and was just accepted into his new high school’s elite chorale group for next year. While I want to support his creative endeavors, I also recognize that singing Shape […]
May 22, 2017
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 […]
May 16, 2017
Es En Espanol Q: You have mentioned research showing that using certain media can make teens sad and/or anxious and that there are also studies linking negative feelings to unhealthy eating habits. Therefore, do you think that negative feelings resulting from teens’ media use, as opposed to real-life events, can lead to unhealthy eating behaviors? ~ Starving for […]
May 10, 2017
Es En Espanol Q: My child is 13 months old and loves reading books. She is below the 24 month suggested age for screen time recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Is it ok to read books with her on the iPad? ~ iPerplexed, USA A: Dear iPerplexed, This is a wonderful question and one that […]
April 29, 2017
Es En Espanol Q: My daughter is 13 and an eighth grader in middle school. Her friends have recently become obsessed with the Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why. I haven’t read the book or watched the show, but have been seeing a few news articles that worry that the show may be dangerous for kids to watch […]
April 4, 2017
Es En Espanol Q: I’m a Social Worker who works with children ages 7-18 on the autism spectrum. Many of the kids that I work with interpret what they see in TV and movies as representative of real life situations and how people behave – unfortunately, this kind of rigid, literal thinking often leads to problems […]
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