October 23, 2015
Q: As a mother and a student examining media as a social issue, I’m concerned that technology is decreasing youth’s ability to communicate face-to-face, largely because most of their communication and activities are done through a screen. Is there evidence for this concern? ~ Face Facts, Bridgeport, CT A: Dear Face, Young people walk hand […]
August 21, 2015
Q: What advice do you have for when kids (ages 10, 13 and 13) return home from sleepaway camp where they’ve had no devices for weeks (or months)? This seems like a great opportunity to reset the house rules for media use, as I cringe at the idea of falling back into old habits of […]
August 13, 2015
Q: My 14-year-old daughter is seemingly addicted to her smartphone, particularly social media (Instagram and Snap Chat) and texting with her friends. I’ve never seen it this bad before. During the school year, she had no problem leaving her phone in her backpack while at home, and she’s always been a good student, with plenty […]
July 7, 2015
Q: I’m 19 and going off to college in the Fall. A bunch of my friends are on Tinder, and I am too, but have only really been looking…I’m concerned that my risk of contracting an STD will be higher if I use the app, rather than meet someone in person…is that true? ~ Sketched […]
June 16, 2015
Q: My 14-year-old son is an aspiring musician and has recently been using YouNow to broadcast himself and his band’s “jam sessions.” I wasn’t too concerned until I realized that it is a live stream (I thought it was another version of YouTube) and that he also leaves it running after the band leaves and […]
June 1, 2015
Q: Our family moved recently from the U.S. to Mexico for my husband’s job, and while most things have been transitioning smoothly, I am concerned that my 14-year-old son is spending too much time with screens and not enough time making friends. Since moving, he spends a lot of time Skyping or playing video games […]
April 10, 2015
Q: I am a 7th grader working on an independent research project about whether using social media can be addictive and how using social media affects adolescent girls’ body image. What does the scientific research show? And how can I learn more about this? ~ Scrutinizing Social Media, Wellesley, MA Dear Scrutinizing, As a seventh grader, […]
February 17, 2015
Q: Yesterday one of my daughter’s friends committed suicide. She was a sophomore in college. I am saddened and angry. I went to the girl’s Facebook page and saw that she had 1,194 friends. All of her pictures show her with an impossibly bright smile. Her wall is full of messages sounding like, “I know […]
January 30, 2015
Q: I’ve noticed that many parents worry a lot about their children texting. But when we were kids, we would spend hours on the phone, sometimes not even talking much. When my teens are texting with friends at home, I liken it to those phone calls of yesteryear. I don’t allow texting during family meals […]
August 27, 2014
Q: My 14-year-old son recently told me that he wants more privacy and no longer wants to allow me to check his text messages, Instagram, and emails. He claims that he needs more freedom and independence as he is growing up and feels as though my checking his social media is an invasion of his […]
But while you’re here, subscribe to the Mediatrician’s Media Rx — a weekly prescription for raising and mentoring healthy, smart, kind kids in our screen-saturated world.
Subscribe to Media Rx✓ You’re on the Media Rx list — thank you!