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Teens

My 17-year-old is having serious anxiety since he started playing Call of Duty–is there a connection?
 My 17-year-old is having serious anxiety since he started playing Call of Duty–is there a connection? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 17-year-old son started playing Call of Duty a few months ago. Since that time, he has had more trouble than usual falling asleep and has been waking up in the middle of the night. Last night, he woke me saying he felt like he was having a panic attack—racing heart and hyperventilation. I…

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Ratings Reality: Who rates our media and what that means for children
 Ratings Reality: Who rates our media and what that means for children 150 150 Mediatrics

CMCH staff member Kristelle Lavallee contributed the following post to Thriving, Boston Children’s Hospital’s pediatric health blog. Are you looking to take the family to a movie but aren’t sure whether your child should see The Hunger Games (PG-13) or Bully (unrated)? If you base the decision on the Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) ratings, the answer…

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How can I encourage parents to be involved in their kids’ online lives?
 How can I encourage parents to be involved in their kids’ online lives? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 16-year-old goddaughter’s parents are not Facebook friends with her, so when someone stole her phone and posted some degrading things to her account, they didn’t know until I told them. Another friend asked me to look at all her 19-year-old daughter’s pictures and let her know if I saw anything inappropriate. How can…

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Is The Hunger Games movie too scary for younger fans of the book?
 Is The Hunger Games movie too scary for younger fans of the book? 150 150 Mediatrics

The movie The Hunger Games opens today, and record tickets sales are expected to make the post-apocalyptic survival tale one of the spring’s biggest blockbusters. But just because your child has read The Hunger Game books, does that mean she’s ready to watch it on the big screen?

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How can I block sexual content in Web searches from my 15-year-old’s iPad?
 How can I block sexual content in Web searches from my 15-year-old’s iPad? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: What is the best way I can block websites with sexual content that appear through Web searches on my 15 year old’s iPad and still let him use the Internet for safe sites? The built-in controls are a blunt instrument and block too much or all content. –Seeking Better Blocking, in Nashville, TN A: Dear…

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My 10-year-old son is miserable since I took away Call of Duty–what do I do?
 My 10-year-old son is miserable since I took away Call of Duty–what do I do? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 10 year old used to be an avid skateboarder and baseball player—until Call of Duty on XBOX Live arrived. I didn’t in my wildest dreams think that he would become addicted to a video game. I have a 21 year old who played all of the games but was never ruled by them.…

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Could my 14-year-old son’s anxiety be related to playing video games?
 Could my 14-year-old son’s anxiety be related to playing video games? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: Is there a connection between excessive video game playing and increased anxiety levels? My son is 14 and has some basic anxieties like walking the dog at night that I feel are made worse by the first-person shooter games he plays. I’d love to understand if you have seen any connections here. –Grappling with…

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Will sitting close to the TV hurt my kids’ eyes?
 Will sitting close to the TV hurt my kids’ eyes? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: I have an son who’s 11 and a daughter who’s 9½, and for many years, they have sat close to the TV when watching. I have asked them to sit farther away, and they do move back maybe a foot…but they always go back to viewing the show close up, even if the screen…

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The Top 10 Mediatrician Q&A’s of 2011
 The Top 10 Mediatrician Q&A’s of 2011 150 150 Mediatrics

Each week this year, you asked our Mediatrician, Dr. Michael Rich, your most pressing questions about the effects of media on kids, and he answered! Here are the top 10 most-viewed Ask the Mediatrician Q&As from 2011: 1. When should I talk to my girls about media and body image? 2. Are 3D video games safe…

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How can I find educational video games for an 8-year-old boy who likes war stuff?
 How can I find educational video games for an 8-year-old boy who likes war stuff? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: Do you have suggestions for how to find appropriate media, such as educational video games, for different ages, such as an 8-year-old boy who likes war stuff? I’d like to help direct him to more creative sites.  –Seeking solutions, in Burlington, VT A: Dear Seeking, It’s not always easy to know which video games…

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