February 27, 2013
I have two kids, ages 7 and 2. My eldest is given access to the iPad on car trips and once in a while at home. My younger son likes to sit by his brother while he plays and of late, has been pointing to it and asking for it. There are some days when […]
January 10, 2013
Q: At the therapeutic day school where I work, we’ve been encountering a number of internet and social media issues with our students (all kids with emotional/behavioral special needs). I would love to get your thoughts and ideas on how to best educate our kids and their parents on how to understand and appropriately use […]
December 10, 2012
Q: My 14-year-old daughter has been begging to get ‘Snapchat’ on her iPod Touch. I searched for information and I wasn’t initially impressed. I am tech savvy and know screen shots can easily be saved, but also, if she loses her device and someone else sends something, she could be held responsible. I don’t like […]
November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving is considered a time of reflection, giving thanks, family togetherness, and, of course, delicious food. But when all the toasts have been made, the plates cleared, and the leftovers tucked away, it can be easy to fall into a state of media mindlessness—dozing off in front of the TV, checking cell phones for scores […]
November 15, 2012
Q: Our 18-year-old son started playing video games at age 9 and became addicted gradually. We struggled with him over the years to limit the time he was online. It became the center of his world, especially when he hit puberty and was dealing with insecurity, anxiety, and depression. The games became more and more […]
September 27, 2012
Q: My 8-year-old son sees a lot of kids around him with iPods, iPads, video games, and phones, and keeps asking us for them. Even though we have explained that he doesn’t need all of these electronics and expose him to lots of other activities, the peer pressure is getting to him. What can I […]
September 21, 2012
Q: I have 4 boys (ages 11, 9, 9, and 7), and I am rather strict about limiting their screen time: We don’t allow any during the school week, and on the weekend, we allow the boys 1 hour per day. I have also told my oldest son that when he is at someone else’s house, […]
August 17, 2012
Q: My child is in third grade, and he’s already diagnosed with ADHD. He has a high IQ, is in honors classes, and is physically active—he’s a Gold-medal wrestler. He still uses media for too many hours each day, though. Given that he’s in good shape and gets good grades, how can I tell him […]
July 27, 2012
Q: Each morning while I shower and get dressed, I let my two-year-old son watch 10-15 minutes of an innocuous video. This has worked well to keep him safe and still while I shower, but he pitches a fit every time I turn the movie off, despite the fact that we do this same routine every day and […]
July 13, 2012
Q: My 10-year-old son plays mostly role-playing games, and has a 90-minute screen time limit per day. Overall he’s a great kid—does well in school, is active in sports, has plenty of friends—but we have limited his screen time as a consequence for poor behavior, which is mostly related to abusing screen time limits. He […]
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