November 29, 2011
Q: We have a 16-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son who are at the same school. They have voluntarily given up Facebook because of the time drain it can be, and both have fairly heavy academic loads. They are interested in starting a blog together. What are the pros and cons? –Benefits of Blogging in […]
December 21, 2010
Q: My son’s private middle school decided to insist on a no-FB policy. Is that reasonable, given the students ages (10 and 11)?
A: Whether the school handled the situation appropriately is a more subjective issue, but whether 10 and 11 year olds should be on Facebook gets a definitive no because of their current stage of brain development.
November 9, 2010
Recently, I answered a question from a mother who wanted to know whether she should be concerned that her teen son was spending several hours a day on Wikipedia. When the answer was featured on Ask the Mediatrician and discussed on the Center on Media and Child Health Facebook page, several readers challenged whether this boy’s intense interest in Wikipedia or excessive internet time was really that bad compared to other things he could be doing. I agreed with many of these comments and realized that I had not made my thoughts totally clear.
November 2, 2010
Q: My 16 year-old spends several hours a day on Wikipedia, reading and editing entries. I’ve searched for scientific papers specifically on Wikipedia habits, but all I find are articles on internet addiction. Should I be concerned? What can I do?
A: A: First of all, your web searches may have been pointing you to the right articles: Even if it seems like an inappropriate term to categorize your son’s behavior, internet addiction refers to unhealthy patterns of internet use…
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
April 20, 2010
Q: My daughter is being bullied by lots of girls and boys from her school on Facebook. All the school will do is suspend these kids for a week—then they come back and it will start again. What can I do?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
April 16, 2010
Q: My children know it is not right to watch, play, or listen to things that are not for their ages, and they understand why, as we have explained to them. But their friends tend to walk away from them because of this. For instance, my 12-year-old daughter was asked by her friends to dance […]
March 31, 2010
Q: My husband and I want to model good media habits, but we have trouble disconnecting because we are self-employed and use social media for our work. Do you have any practical tips for how to step back from technology in this situation?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®
October 12, 2009
Q: Texting, cruising the Internet, and Facebooking are interfering with my son’s academic goals. What facts and tips can you share that will help my wife and me and, ultimately, our son learn to manage media wisely?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician
August 24, 2009
Q: We feel “webbed out” of our teenage son’s electronic social life. Are you aware of studies tracking the psychological impact that technologies like Facebook and Twitter have on developing “normal” social skills?
May 30, 2009
Q: My teenage children seem to spend all their free time on the Internet, using Facebook, IMing their friends, and watching YouTube videos. How can I make sure that what they are doing is safe?
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