Are audiobooks a good use of kids’ time?
October 14, 2010
Q: My kids love listening to stories on CD. Do you think this a good use of time compared to watching TV?
A: Audiobooks are valuable media for your children because they don’t pre-digest imagery for them. That means that as your kids listen to the stories, they’re given the exquisite experience of actively imagining the worlds they’re hearing about, rather than having the characters and scenery presented to them like in a book or TV show.
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
September 21, 2010
Q: We have taken away screen media from our son’s daily routine and it seems to be helping with his hyperactivity. Do you think we should continue with this?
Answered by Dr Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
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®
August 23, 2010
Q: I am a Pre-K Special Educator and some of the boys have hit, kicked, scratched, punched, and head-butted me and their classmates. I know their parents watch professional wrestling with them. Do you know of any research connecting this behavior with what they are watching?
August 13, 2010
Q: What are your thoughts on animal programs that show graphic killing that is in the wild, like “Big Cat Diaries”? I’m not sure if they are appropriate for my 4-year-old.
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician
August 6, 2010
Q: My friend’s child gets up in the middle of the night to play video games and she isn’t concerned about it at all, but it makes me worried. Should I say something or mind my own business?
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, […]
May 19, 2010
Q: Many of the kids I know who’ve been playing video games from a very young age have grown up to be anti-social and easily frustrated. Are there any studies showing a link?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician
April 23, 2010
Q: I know it is easier for me to get my chores done around the house if my toddler is entertained by TV. How do I stop this? What can replace these easy “babysitters” so that I can save my mental health?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician
