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Dad working from home with toddler
I’m parenting 4 kids of different ages during the pandemic. How do I help my family balance media-use healthfully in lockdown?
 I’m parenting 4 kids of different ages during the pandemic. How do I help my family balance media-use healthfully in lockdown? 1024 462 Mediatrics

Q: My partner and I are parenting three children (ages 3.5, 6 and 10) while staying with my sister and her family, which includes a 19-year-old college student. We’re all in lockdown as my sister is high-risk for coronavirus. The adults are working from home, and some of the kids are remote learning. There are…

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Should I take my eighth grader to see the R-rated movie, Eighth Grade?
 Should I take my eighth grader to see the R-rated movie, Eighth Grade? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about the new movie, Eighth Grade and my daughter, who is an eighth grader this school year has been asking to see it. I’d like to take her, but am worried and a bit confused by the movie’s R-rating. Is it ok for her to see it?…

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Facebook Messenger Kids
Should I let my children use Facebook’s Messenger Kids app?
 Should I let my children use Facebook’s Messenger Kids app? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I recently read about Facebook’s new messenger app for kids. My kids, who are 6 and 9, have their own smartphones and currently use them for calling/texting only (I think). We’ve avoided using social media apps, as I worry about the content and protecting their privacy. Is Facebook’s new app a good “gateway” app…

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Fake Instagram
Should I be concerned about my teen’s Finstagram (fake Instagram) account?
 Should I be concerned about my teen’s Finstagram (fake Instagram) account? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: My 16 year old daughter is obsessed with Instagram and constantly taking pictures to share on the app. I recently discovered that she has two accounts…one of which she calls her “Finstagram” and says she only allows her closest friends to follow her (I follow her on her more “popular” account). While I understand it’s…

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Woman texting over coffee
Can my teen be charged for a crime based on what she texts to her friends?
 Can my teen be charged for a crime based on what she texts to her friends? 750 315 Mediatrics

Es En Espanol Q: I recently read that a young woman was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for texting a friend to kill himself.  I find this case incredibly concerning because the girl who was convicted was only 17 at the time and my own teens text each other in ways that could be easily misinterpreted. For example,…

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Woman with child at laptop
How can I best use media with children on the autism spectrum?
 How can I best use media with children on the autism spectrum? 750 315 Mediatrics

Es En Espanol Q: I’m a Social Worker who works with children ages 7-18 on the autism spectrum. Many of the kids that I work with interpret what they see in TV and movies as representative of real life situations and how people behave – unfortunately, this kind of rigid, literal thinking often leads to problems…

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Baby Skype
Is it dangerous to have my 3-month-old Skype with his grandparents?
 Is it dangerous to have my 3-month-old Skype with his grandparents? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I’d like my parents to be able to see and start talking to my three-month-old son via Skype on my smartphone. I’m concerned about how the video emitted from the screen will affect his brain development and his eyes. Any advice will be helpful! ~ Nana Skype, New York, NY A: Dear Nana, This…

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Kik ATM
Should I let my tween use the Kik messenger app?
 Should I let my tween use the Kik messenger app? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: Would you allow an 11-year-old child to use the Kik app? I say “no”, but would like to know your thoughts – thanks! ~ Kik Me, Annapolis, MD A: Dear KM, Parenting in the 21st Century includes deciding how to manage children’s screen media use, which means many different decisions about issues from television…

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Relationship status
How can I stop cyberstalking my ex-boyfriend on social media?
 How can I stop cyberstalking my ex-boyfriend on social media? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: My boyfriend of 2 years just broke up with me. We’re still “Friends” on Facebook and follow each other on Instagram and a few other social networks (Snapchat & Vine). When we broke up, I unsubscribed from his newsfeed but I can’t help looking up his profile every now and then. I also see…

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toddler smartphone
Is it wrong for me to give my three-year-old my tablet or smartphone to use unsupervised?
 Is it wrong for me to give my three-year-old my tablet or smartphone to use unsupervised? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I recently read the New York Times article discussing young children using high tech devices unsupervised before they turn 4. Admittedly, I give my three year old daughter my iPad to play with on long car trips and I’ll occasionally hand her my smartphone while in line at the grocery store (she usually melts…

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