June 30, 2016
Q: I am working on a project about adolescents in this century. I am curious why there are so many more cases of anxiety and depression within teenage groups these days. Do media play a role in this? Have antidepressants and anxiety medications helped or hurt youth? ~ Stressed Or Saddened, USA A: Dear SOS, Depression […]
May 3, 2016
Q: My three-year-old daughter is obsessed with watching YouTube Kids on my phone. What can I do to stop this? ~ R You(Tube) Kidding, Arlington, VA A: Dear R, Stopping your daughter from watching YouTube Kids is easy, although may require you to deal with protests from your daugther. She is 3. YouTube Kids has […]
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 […]
July 27, 2015
Q: Our daughter is three months old and likes to look at the bright colors and moving images on the television screen when I am bouncing her in the evenings. The images seem to calm her down, which is helpful for both of us (she usually falls asleep after just a few minutes and will […]
June 18, 2015
Q: My daughter just posted a plea on her Facebook wall asking for help finding quality TV shows for elementary age girls (my granddaughter is 7). I know she has been frustrated by the shows her daughter currently watches, as she believes the female characters act cruelly to each other, and she’s concerned about how […]
May 22, 2015
Q: I am fed up with all of the adult content in commercials that are shown during children and family programming. I have witnessed them across every network and have now started a Facebook page in hopes of gathering as many people as I can to petition for showing only G-rated commercials during children and […]
March 6, 2015
Q: My Lego-loving 5-year-old son is now interested in the Lego Ninjago series (influenced by his 7-year-old cousin). I have tried to keep him from Ninjago as it seems to me to be inappropriate for his age. Currently, all of his Lego building has been with the City series. I believe he looks at Ninjago […]
February 12, 2015
Q: What is the appropriate way to introduce screen media to our three-and-a-half-year-old son? We don’t own a TV, and our son’s exposure to screens has been limited to occasionally taking photos and video and watching Curious George on our smartphones once or twice a week, as a reward, for 10-30 minutes. He’s a very happy […]
December 17, 2014
It’s that time of year once again when school vacations and holidays bring many friends and family together. It can also be a great time to continue or start a tradition of cozying up on the couch, or going out as a group to watch a movie. This year, theaters are offering movie versions of […]
March 28, 2014
Q: At what age is it developmentally ok for kids to see The Lego Movie and even Star Wars with their parents? Is the subliminal (and hidden) marketing in movies unethical, especially given how well it’s made? ~Lamenting over Lego, USA A: Dear Lamenting, Marketing consumer products through TV and movies has been occurring since these […]
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