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Mobile Media

Teenage boy using his cell phone while his mother looks at him with a worried expression
How can I help my teen focus and stop procrastinating with media?
 How can I help my teen focus and stop procrastinating with media? 750 315 Mediatrics

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…

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Infant Reading Tablet
Is it ok for me to read books to my baby on a tablet?
 Is it ok for me to read books to my baby on a tablet? 1 1 Mediatrics

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…

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Minecraft ADHD
Is it ok for my 8-year-old child, who has ADHD, to play Minecraft?
 Is it ok for my 8-year-old child, who has ADHD, to play Minecraft? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: My 8-year-old son has ADHD and is on medication for it. He wants to play the video game, Minecraft, but I’m not sure if he should. Do you think it is ok for him to play, and if so, for how long? ~ Muddled about Minecraft, The Overworld, Earth A: Dear Muddled, Yes, your son…

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Media Forbidden Fruit
How can I avoid making media into a “forbidden fruit” for my kids?
 How can I avoid making media into a “forbidden fruit” for my kids? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I was able to attend a community presentation you gave about children and screen time. During your talk, you discouraged parents from setting screen time limits because doing so makes media into “forbidden fruit”, or increasingly tempting for kids. In my house, we often take away TV or iPad time from our kids (ages…

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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…

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Girl watching smartphone
My three-year-old is obsessed with the YouTube Kids app, what should I do?
 My three-year-old is obsessed with the YouTube Kids app, what should I do? 1 1 Mediatrics

Q: My three-year-old daughter is obsessed with watching YouTube Kids on my phone. What can I do to stop this? ~ R You(Tube) Kidding, Arlington, VA A: Dear R, Stopping your daughter from watching YouTube Kids is easy, although may require you to deal with protests from your daugther. She is 3. YouTube Kids has…

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Internet device addiction
How should clinicians diagnose patients with “Internet Addiction”?
 How should clinicians diagnose patients with “Internet Addiction”? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I am a clinician who teaches psychiatry at a major medical school, where I lead a class on assessment and diagnosis of mental health and behavioral disorders. Recently my students asked me what kind of diagnosis one should give to designate Internet Addiction. What is the current understanding and clinical best practice? ~ Befuddled…

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boy cell phone video
My 8-year-old watches twerking videos on YouTube, what should I do?
 My 8-year-old watches twerking videos on YouTube, what should I do? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: On several occasions, I’ve caught my 8-year-old son going on YouTube and searching for “black butts that are twerking” as well as “Chinese characters with big breasts”. How do I handle this? I’ve taken away his devices that can go on the internet, should I punish him too? ~ Twerk Trouble, USA A: Dear…

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twins cell phones
Should I give my tween twins smartphones?
 Should I give my tween twins smartphones? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I have a set of twins, ages 11 soon to be 12. My son has Asperger’s Syndrome and my daughter has ADHD.  They both have a natural affinity for screens and are very rule-oriented.  My daughter very much wants a smartphone, as “everyone” at middle school has one and she wants to fit the…

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boy shocked smartphone
My 8-year-old son watched a sex video on my smartphone, what should I do?
 My 8-year-old son watched a sex video on my smartphone, what should I do? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: My 8-year-old son took my phone to play with, left the room and was quiet. When I took my phone back nothing was there, however when I searched the history, I discovered that he had been watching a sex video. I know that he searched for it as he looked up the term “secsy”.…

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