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Media Literacy

What do I need to know about Slender Man?
 What do I need to know about Slender Man? 750 500 Mediatrics

Q: My 11-year-old daughter was invited to a “Slender Man” themed Halloween party where everyone dresses up as some sort of creepy internet meme, like Slender Man. I thought it was innocent enough, but have recently become concerned after seeing how much my daughter is searching about the 2014 Slender Man stabbing (I looked at…

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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…

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At what age should I take my kids to see movies with direct marketing ties like “The Lego Movie”?
 At what age should I take my kids to see movies with direct marketing ties like “The Lego Movie”? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: At what age is it developmentally ok for kids to see The Lego Movie and even Star Wars with their parents? Is the subliminal (and hidden) marketing in movies unethical, especially given how well it’s made? ~Lamenting over Lego, USA A: Dear Lamenting, Marketing consumer products through TV and movies has been occurring since these…

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The Mediatrician’s holiday movie-watching tips
 The Mediatrician’s holiday movie-watching tips 150 150 Mediatrics

The holidays can be a great time for families and friends to come together and watch a new or classic movie. This year, theaters are offering movie versions of popular children’s and young adult stories such as Frozen, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug, while many TV stations and streaming…

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Are there home school media literacy programs for seven-year-olds?
 Are there home school media literacy programs for seven-year-olds? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: We are a homeschooling family who has decided to exclude media from our daughters’ lives until they turn 7. Our daughters have never watched TV and have never seen an advertisement, movie, YouTube clip, etc. Our eldest is turning seven in June, and we want to introduce her to media though a media literacy…

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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…

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How can I ensure social media safety for students with special needs?
 How can I ensure social media safety for students with special needs? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: At the therapeutic day school where I work, we’ve been encountering a number of internet and social media issues with our students (all kids with emotional/behavioral special needs). I would love to get your thoughts and ideas on how to best educate our kids and their parents on how to understand and appropriately use…

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Should my 5-year-old be watching educational TV?
 Should my 5-year-old be watching educational TV? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: So far I’ve only allowed my 5-year-old to watch DVDs that I’ve selected. Should I introduce some quality educational TV programs, or should I stick to my guns and keep her away from TV—and the commercials that come with it—for as long as I can? –Tepid about TV, USA A: Dear Tepid, Your question…

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How do you explain advertising to a 5-year-old?
 How do you explain advertising to a 5-year-old? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 5-year-old son’s summer camp is studying the Olympics, a topic he is very interested in.  We’ve been seeing many billboards and TV commercials with athletes promoting Coca Cola. The first time he saw one, he literally said, “Oh, if I drink Coca Cola, then I can be a great boxer too.”  Of course…

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How can parents make the internet a safe place to play?
 How can parents make the internet a safe place to play? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: With kids of all ages using the internet for everything from socializing to finding information to playing games, how can we keep them as safe as they can be in that world? -Net Nervous A: Dear Net Nervous, You’re right–just like the school playground, the internet is a place where children play, learn, and…

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