Why should my family participate in Turnoff Week?
September 20, 2010
Q: Why should my family participate in Turnoff Week?
A: TV, video games, and computers have become so common that, for many families, they are a default activity, rather than a choice they make about how they want to spend their time. It is not just cramming facts into children’s brains, but giving them the unstructured “down time” to process those facts and come to their own conclusions, that will give them the richest environment in which to develop.
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
September 7, 2010
Q: We are opening a new children’s center at our hospital. What kind of recreational technology would you recommend we put in our waiting room?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
July 23, 2010
Q: My 12-year-old son wanted a PS3, partly as a birthday gift and partly out of money he’s saved. This was to replace his PS2 because some of the games he wanted were not available for PS2. His PS2 is in his room on a non-cable hooked up TV so that all of his approved, […]
July 19, 2010
Q: Are impulsive children, or children with ADHD, more likely to develop technology addictions? –Answers about ADHD in San Francisco, CA A: Dear Answers, This is a tricky subject for a very basic reason: Although diagnosed and treated as a serious problem in Asia and Europe, technology addiction, also known as video or internet addiction, […]
June 28, 2010
Q: What is your take on smartphone apps being used in the classroom? I know a lot of schools are using them now, and I’m not sure what to think about it.
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
April 20, 2010
Q: My daughter is being bullied by lots of girls and boys from her school on Facebook. All the school will do is suspend these kids for a week—then they come back and it will start again. What can I do?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
April 13, 2010
Q: We just found out that our 6-year-old son has a central auditory processing disorder. We do not have TV or video games in our house, but when he visits friends’ houses, they sometimes play the older brother’s extremely violent video games, such as Call of Duty. Since there are fewer screens in our house, […]
April 6, 2010
Q: Much of the discussion on kids’ media use centers, appropriately, on parent involvement. I’m wondering, though, are there ways kids and teens can help each other use media safely and wisely?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
April 2, 2010
Q: My husband watches YouTube videos with our 2 year old son almost daily, and I am not sure what I think about whether it’s a good habit or not. What do you think?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician
March 22, 2010
I keep hearing how younger and younger children are being exposed to electronics, which must certainly affect their lives. But are the effects positive or negative?
