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Teens

Is sexting a sign of early sexual activity?
 Is sexting a sign of early sexual activity? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: I thought I had a handle on my 15 year old’s texting habits, but I recently found some sexually explicit texts between him and a 12 year-old friend. Are my son and his friend more likely to jump into sexual activity, since they have been so daring in their texts?
A: A report from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy shows that 40% of all teen boys report having sent a sexually suggestive text, so your son and you are part of a growing proportion of families…
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®

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Can reducing screen time help kids with attention disorders?
 Can reducing screen time help kids with attention disorders? 150 150 Mediatrics

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®

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Why should my family participate in Turnoff Week?
 Why should my family participate in Turnoff Week? 150 150 Mediatrics

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®

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How much texting is too much?
 How much texting is too much? 150 150 Mediatrics

A: Dear Texting, Your “gut feeling” is correct — 300 texts in a day is on the high end. To put your daughter’s usage in perspective, the latest numbers from the Pew Internet and American Life project…

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What kinds of kids’ activities should be available in a waiting room?
 What kinds of kids’ activities should be available in a waiting room? 150 150 Mediatrics

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®

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Does my family understand the sarcasm of “Family Guy”?
 Does my family understand the sarcasm of “Family Guy”? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My teenage sons love watching Family Guy, but I am not sure they understand the sarcasm?
A: I am impressed that as the mom of three sons, you have the courage to share with them a show in which the brilliant but angry baby, Stewie, is focused on killing his mother. Seriously, though, you have picked up on a subtle…
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician©

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Are attention disorders connected to technology addiction?
 Are attention disorders connected to technology addiction? 150 150 Mediatrics

  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,…

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How does pornography impact boys’ ideas about women and relationships?
 How does pornography impact boys’ ideas about women and relationships? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: Boys in my daughter’s 8th grade class were looking at pornographic images on one of their phones during lunch. How do these images affect boys’ ideas about sex?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®

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What are kids learning from Lady Gaga’s music videos?
 What are kids learning from Lady Gaga’s music videos? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: What are kids learning from music videos like Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s “Telephone”?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®

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Do models in ads affect how girls feel about their own bodies?
 Do models in ads affect how girls feel about their own bodies? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 10 year old daughter loves reading teen magazines but I don’t want her to think she has to look like just the tiny models in the ads to be valued. How can I talk to her about this?
Answered by Dr. Michael Rich, The Mediatrician®

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