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School Age Children

How can my six year old explore music on her own without being exposed to inappropriate content?
 How can my six year old explore music on her own without being exposed to inappropriate content? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My six year old loves music, and I would like her to have something digital with which to listen to a variety of good music. I want her to have a certain level of independence as she explores her musical tastes, but I don’t want to get her something too advanced. My husband often…

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When school is online, how much screen time is too much?
 When school is online, how much screen time is too much? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: I teach for an online school that serves students in 4th through 12th grades. All of our lesson content is web-based, and the school would like to add three hours of synchronous lesson delivery four days a week. I believe that the school is trying to satisfy the parent desire for face-to-face contact between…

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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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How can I use screen media mindfully with a four-year-old and six-year-old twins?
 How can I use screen media mindfully with a four-year-old and six-year-old twins? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My wife and I have twin 6-year-old boys and a 4-year-old boy. Many of the strategies I’ve seen about responsible screen use, digital media, TV, etc. seem herculean for a family like ours. My wife will use commercial-free videos so she can take a break to cook, as well as online videos of volcanoes, jet…

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When streaming music for my kids, how can I make sure the content is appropriate?
 When streaming music for my kids, how can I make sure the content is appropriate? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: We like to stream music from Pandora for my kids, who are in first and second grade. Pop dance music is fun and upbeat, and my children love it. But there is a big jump in maturity from Laurie Berkner and Kids Bop to Today’s Top Hits. And though there are lots of controls…

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Never learning violence.
 Never learning violence. 150 150 Mediatrics

Dear Readers, Last week, the New York Times featured an article entitled “Unlearning Gun Violence”, which discussed the work of an epidemiologist who, after a decade of fighting TB, HIV, and cholera in Africa, returned to a life-threatening epidemic in his hometown of Chicago—violence.  He uses the same techniques that worked in Africa, teaching perpetrators and…

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How can I keep my kids from being frightened by scary media this Halloween?
 How can I keep my kids from being frightened by scary media this Halloween? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My kids (10 and 7) have been invited to a number of Halloween-themed parties this year that are being held at their schools and at the homes of a few of their friends. Several of these parties will have scary movies, scary music, and in one case (the school’s) a dramatic reading of a…

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My 10-year-old grandson is playing M-rated video games and his parents don’t seem to mind–what can I do?
 My 10-year-old grandson is playing M-rated video games and his parents don’t seem to mind–what can I do? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My ten year old grandson is seemingly addicted to his Xbox and is allowed to play M-rated games. On weekend he spends hours on end playing. He becomes very defensive when you call him. His room has become his dungeon and his parents allow it, I guess to keep him out of their hair!…

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Should apps be part of a library’s story time?
 Should apps be part of a library’s story time? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: There is a discussion among children’s librarians about including tablets and apps in story times at the library for children ages 2-5 or even younger. The assumption is that apps can and should be one more type of material that supports early literacy development (vocabulary, narrative skills, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, etc.). Some think…

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