10 Ways To Get Active With Your Kids…And Make It Fun!

Last updated on November 28th, 2016 at 08:13 pm

New Research into the Impact of Digital Media on Homework

Last updated on November 14th, 2016 at 11:38 am

How does the amount of time spent on digital media affect a child’s well being and development, including the ability to complete their homework? New research provides additional insight into this question.

THE PROBLEM:  In today’s ever-changing world of technology, how does a parent deal with the pressures of time constraints?  When all around you, people are no longer communicating with each other without some kind of digital screen in front of them, how do you make a decision about how much digital media is okay for your child? When does it become too much, so that it interferes with the other facets of a child’s healthy emotional and mental development?

THE STUDY:  That was the question that pediatricians from Brown University School of Public Health sought an answer to when they analyzed data on media use and homework habits of 64,000 children aged 6-17 from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health. This survey, which uses parental and caregiver reports of their children’s activities, is sponsored by the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau and completed every few years by a group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers presented an abstract of the study, “Digital Media Exposure in School-Aged Children Decreases the Frequency of Homework”, at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Convention in October.

Overall findings were specific and abundantly clear:  “Children who spent four to six hours on digital media had 49 percent lower odds of always or usually finishing their homework than those with less than 2 hours per day.” Even 2 or 3 hours a day resulted in a significant negative impact on homework completion.

Note: “Digital media” included:  TV, computers, tablets and smartphones, and the research separated out time spent on school work projects.

Facts:  Percentage of digital media exposure of the study group.

• 31% were exposed to less than two hours per day.
• 36% were exposed to two to four hours per day.
• 17% were exposed to four to six hours per day
• 17% were exposed six or more hours per day

THE RESULTS:  The effects of digital media exposure on homework completion by children, when compared to children with less than two hours of usage per day:

• Two to four hours of media usage: children had 23% lower odds of completion.
• Four to six hours of media usage: 49% lower odds of always or usually finishing their homework.
• Six or more hours of media usage: 63% lower odds of completion.
• For every additional two hours of any digital media usage, there was significant decrease in the probability of always or usually completing homework.

Other negative side effects of over-exposure to digital media and the ability for children to flourish, surfaced in the lack of

• Caring about performing well in school
• Completing tasks started
• Interest in learning new things
• Staying calm in the face of challenges

“Parents should consider these combined effects when setting limits on digital media devices.” according to Stephanie Ruest, MD, FAAP, an author of the study.

Note: The statistics remained the same regardless of child’s age, sex or family income level.

MY THOUGHTS:  As a Grandmother of five grandchildren between the ages of eleven and fifteen, I have certainly had the opportunity to observe the problem many times over – and from my perspective, the bottom line is clear.  Parents need to pay attention to this study.

They need to make the adjustments to their parenting by not following a “Do as I say, not as I do!” mentality.  The study quite clearly answers the question:  Yes, there will be damage to children from long-time exposure to digital media.  The more the exposure, the more the damage there will be.  It WILL have a negative effect on their ability to complete their homework and other projects, get a good night’s sleep and to remain calm in the face of a crisis.  The parents are the examples.  Will they be willing to make the changes in their own and their family’s lives to be able to nurture stable, responsible, well-adjusted children by making the harder, more adversarial choice to limit their child’s usage of digital media?

Reference

The abstract was presented by co-author Max Rubinstein, MD., a copy of which can be obtained from the AAP Department of Public Affairs at:  commun@aap.org.  Senior author Annie Gjelsvik, PhD, can be contacted at Annie_Gjelsvik@Brown.edu.

Click here for a link to an AAP article on this study.

AAP Issues New Guidelines for Children’s Exposure to Digital Media

Last updated on March 2nd, 2018 at 12:18 pm

How can a parent know how much technological media is good for his/her developing infant/toddler/child/teenager to be exposed to on a daily basis before it becomes detrimental?  Under what circumstances does it become detrimental?  How do you determine what too much looks like?  It is an especially difficult decision when the devices, programs, and technologies change daily.

In the explosion that has occurred over the past few years, of devices that have gotten smaller, smarter, more compact, offering more options, better graphics, etc., the love-hate relationship has blossomed to levels that invade every phase of everyday living, for all ages, across global lines.

How can you, as a parent, make the judgement call, when even the “experts” were not sure WHAT limits should be set, or even IF they should be set?  In October of 2015, the AAP issued some preliminary guidelines in the form of “Advice for Families on Media Use”.  Up until then, the 1999 guideline was clear; “No screen time for children under 2 years of age.”  That decree was made when TV was THE media in use, before all the new technologies became available.

Finally, as of this past Friday, October 21^st, the American Academy of Pediatrics released, in a streaming Facebook-live announcement, the results of a year-long study of the effects of devices on children in different stages of development.  It also offered specific tools that could be used as the means by which healthy, positive changes could be made as a family, to improve the media experience, while at the same time allowing the other healthy requirements of childhood to be re-established.

Also clearly stated, was that not all of the media programs offered for young children’s viewing as “educational”, are the ones that are approved and endorsed by the AAP as being positive and helpful for that audience, because of the content.  How do you change the habits of your children, if they have been used to being online, on the computer, cell phone, or tablet, etc., for very long periods of time, and from a very young age?  First, you clearly have to identify the problem and its source.  Then you have to establish or change the rules!  And you must stay involved.

The new guidelines that are recommended by the AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS for media interaction for children, are:

1. Make your own family media use plan.  Media should work for you and within your family values and parenting style. When used thoughtfully and appropriately, media can enhance daily life.
2. Treat media as you would any other environment in your child’s life.  The same parenting guidelines apply in both real and virtual environments. Set limits; kids need and expect them.
3. Set limits and encourage playtime.  Media use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits. Unstructured and offline play stimulates creativity.
4. Families who play together, learn together. Family participation is also great for media activities—it encourages social interactions, bonding, and learning.
5. Be a good role model. Teach and model kindness and good manners online. Because children are great mimics, limit your own media use.
6. Know the value of face-to-face communication. Very young children learn best through two-way communication. Engaging in back-and-forth “talk time” is critical for language development.
7. Limit digital media for your youngest family members. Avoid digital media for toddlers younger than 18 to 24 months other than video chatting. For children 18 to 24 months, watch digital media with them because they learn from watching and talking with you. Limit screen use for preschool children, ages 2 to 5, to just 1 hour a day of high-quality programing, and watch it with them so you can help them learn from what they’re seeing. See Healthy Digital Media Use Habits for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers
8. Create tech-free zones. Keep family mealtimes, other family and social gatherings, and children’s bedrooms screen free.
9. Don’t use technology as an emotional pacifier. Media can be very effective in keeping kids calm and quiet, but it should not be the only way they learn to calm down.
10. Apps for kids – do your homework. More than 80,000 apps are labeled as educational, but little research has demonstrated their actual quality.
11. It’s OK for your teen to be online. Online relationships are part of typical adolescent development. Social media can support teens as they explore and discover more about themselves and their place in the grown-up world.
12. Warn children about the importance of privacy and the dangers of predators and sexting. Teens need to know that once content is shared with others, they will not be able to delete or remove it completely, and includes texting of inappropriate pictures.
13. Remember: Kids will be kids. Kids will make mistakes using media. Try to handle errors with empathy and turn a mistake into a teachable moment.

On an interesting note, for the first time, the AAP has provided recommendations for what they consider to be acceptable content for viewing by young children – for example “Some media can have educational value for children starting at around 18 months of age, but it’s critically important that this be high-quality programming, such as the content offered by Sesame Workshop and PBS.”

Finally, there is a general consensus that the role of technology in children’s lives – and family lives in general – is evolving.  To make it even more challenging, there is NO BASELINE to map against: every child, every family is different and technology will play a unique role in each.

To help families maintain a healthy balance between digital and real life, the AAP has developed an interactive, online tool so families can create a personalized Family Media Use Plan and Media Time Calculator. The Media Use Plan takes you step by step and allocates for each child (based on their age) proper media use such as screen free rooms, screen free times, device curfews, what devices can and can’t be used for what purpose, etc.  The Media Time Calculator (see the example provided here) divides 24 hours over typical activities for each child (again based by age) and allows you as a parent to proactively allocate your child’s day, including their media usage.  It’s incredibly eye opening to see how much time can easily wind up in Screen Time if not allocated elsewhere.

Overall parents – the results emerging from these announcements are positive.  The AAP is looking at digital technology use by families very pragmatically. And like we concluded in our review of their 2015 article  “Beyond ‘turn it off’: How to advise families on media use”,  it is what your child is doing more than purely how much time they are spending in front of a screen that matters…and the fact that you as parents care…and are asking the questions…and are monitoring…is half the battle.

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Reference

• The guidelines above were written from two AAP policies, “Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents” and “Media and Young Minds,” and the technical report entitled “Children and Adolescents and Digital Media,” which were published in the November 2016 edition of Pediatrics.
• They were also drawn from the proceedings of the AAP Sponsored Growing Up Digital: Media Research Symposium, a gathering of media experts, researchers and pediatricians held in 2015 to address new developments in research and media and their impact on children.

Two Minutes until Tantrum: Kids, Technology and Transitions

Last updated on August 5th, 2016 at 01:35 pm

If you are like most parents today, a common refrain you find yourself saying is something like this, “two more minutes and iPad time is over.” We parents give these kinds of warnings frequently—for time on the playground, for time to get ready for school, etc. We think they are helpful because they give the child some warning that a transition is about to happen.

Well, it turns out, that in the case of technology and preschoolers, these warnings of the end of tech time, may actually make matters worse. A recent study examined just this issue to see if the “two-minute warning” helped or hindered kids’ transition to another activity.

The study was small (28 families) but it considered quite a lot of detail of how families of toddlers and preschools managed screen time (including TV, iPad, phones, tablets). One notable finding was that families reported that the majority of the time (59%) transitions away from technology actually went quite well, with the child responding in a neutral way. Parents reported that about 22% of the time, children had a negative reaction to the end of screen time.

The research clearly showed, however, that these negative reactions occurred most commonly when the parent gave the “two-minute warning” regarding the end of screen time. The researchers examined the data many ways and controlled for other factors and this finding still held true.

Interestingly, when the end of screen time was part of a regular routine, it was met with less resistance from the child.  For example, if the child knows that the iPad always goes off once breakfast is ready, then they were much less likely to resist this transition. This information is very helpful as a parent. We all know that kids usually respond best and thrive in the context of routines. It turns out that routines regarding the use of technology seem to work best as well.

The other situation in which children resisted the end of screen time least was when it was in the content of a natural end or transition in the video or game they were using. So, for instance, if screen time was stopped at the end of a TV show or after the finishing of a game, children tended to respond much more positively.  This is also informative for both parents and technology developers. If parents can time the end of screen time at a natural stopping point, transitions will likely go much smoother. Similarly, if technology developers could add features to allow parental control options to time at the end of a show or game, this could turn out to be a very useful feature.

In the end, children in the toddler and preschool age often struggle with transitions of many types. They are at an age, when their burgeoning independence is developing and they have limited self-control. As a parent, this is difficult at times, but it’s helpful to know that routines, in many forms, can help ease the struggle. Kids of all ages have to learn when and where it is appropriate to use technology and routines can help with this learning process. Just as children eventually learn to eat with utensils, not to put their feet on the table, and all number of other household rules, they will eventually learn (with parents’ help) the guidelines for your household’s technology use as well.

See the full study here:

http://media.wix.com/ugd/a0f093_d8ef5b72642c43279e3a2bc09187bd5b.pdf

AAP Changes Advice for Parents on Screen Time – Finally

Last updated on March 2nd, 2018 at 12:42 pm

This May, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) convened an invitation-only Growing Up Digital: Media Research Symposium. This two-day event brought together leading social science, neuroscience and media researchers, educators, pediatricians, and representatives from key partner organizations. The problem they were to address: the most well-known of guidelines discouraged “screen time” for children under age 2 and limited “screen time” to two hours a day for children over age 2 …a bit archaic considering they were written prior to the introduction of the 1st iPad and the proliferation of apps aimed at young children. We even discussed the two-hour limit here at Pediatric Safety in a post called “Do we Shut off the TV until they Reach 2?”  As I’m sure you can imagine…we disagreed.

So in May, the AAP met to evaluate available data, identify research gaps, and consider how to provide thoughtful, practical advice to today’s parents based on the evidence.  Not surprising – by the end of the meeting – new recommendations emerged.  (Note: a detailed overview of the meeting with recommendations for pediatricians, educators and parents is available here).

In a summary article entitled “Beyond ‘turn it off’: How to advise families on media use” presented in the AAP News by authors Ari Brown, M.D., FAAP, Donald L. Shifrin, M.D., FAAP and David L. Hill, M.D., FAAP,  the following 12 key messages for parents emerged:

1. Media is just another environment. Children do the same things they have always done, only virtually. Like any environment, media can have positive and negative effects.
2. Parenting has not changed. The same parenting rules apply to your children’s real and virtual environments. Play with them. Set limits; kids need and expect them. Teach kindness. Be involved. Know their friends and where they are going with them.
3. Role modeling is critical. Limit your own media use, and model online etiquette. Attentive parenting requires face time away from screens.
4. We learn from each other. Neuroscience research shows that very young children learn best via two-way communication. “Talk time” between caregiver and child remains critical for language development. Passive video presentations do not lead to language learning in infants and young toddlers. The more media engender live interactions, the more educational value they may hold (e.g., a toddler chatting by video with a parent who is traveling). Optimal educational media opportunities begin after age 2, when media may play a role in bridging the learning achievement gap.
5. Content matters. The quality of content is more important than the platform or time spent with media. Prioritize how your child spends his time rather than just setting a timer.
6. Curation helps. More than 80,000 apps are labeled as educational, but little research validates their quality (Hirsh-Pasek KPsych Science2015;16:3-34Google Scholar). An interactive product requires more than “pushing and swiping” to teach. Look to organizations like Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org) that review age-appropriate apps, games and programs.
7. Co-engagement counts. Family participation with media facilitates social interactions and learning. Play a video game with your kids. Your perspective influences how your children understand their media experience. For infants and toddlers, co-viewing is essential.
8. Playtime is important. Unstructured playtime stimulates creativity. Prioritize daily unplugged playtime, especially for the very young.
9. Set limits. Tech use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits. Does your child’s technology use help or hinder participation in other activities?
10. It’s OK for your teen to be online. Online relationships are integral to adolescent development. Social media can support identity formation. Teach your teen appropriate behaviors that apply in both the real and online worlds. Ask teens to demonstrate what they are doing online to help you understand both content and context.
11. Create tech-free zones. Preserve family mealtime. Recharge devices overnight outside your child’s bedroom. These actions encourage family time, healthier eating habits and healthier sleep.
12. Kids will be kids. Kids will make mistakes using media. These can be teachable moments if handled with empathy. Certain aberrations, however, such as sexting or posting self-harm images, signal a need to assess youths for other risk-taking behaviors.

Congratulations parents!  While “official AAP recommendations” will likely not arrive until 2016, you may rest easy knowing what I’m guessing you have always known – that it is what your child is doing more than how much time they are spending in front of a screen that matters…and the fact that you care…and are asking the questions…and are monitoring…is half the battle.

Video Games and Kids with Special Needs

Last updated on May 4th, 2015 at 11:37 am

My kids are obsessed with video games. When they aren’t begging to play them, they sit and watch videos of other people playing them, or they are talking to their friends about them. A while ago I wrote an article on the benefits of Wii for kids with special needs, including using it for therapy and exercise. Virtual settings also allow kids with physical challenges to do things on screen that their bodies make impossible in the real world. But the challenges some kids face may prevent them from participating in gaming, leaving them left out of yet another popular activity and distancing them from their peers.

Since there are so many variations of special needs there is no one size fits all solution. Challenges with gross motor skills, fine motor skills or visual processing all require different accommodations. But awareness of the challenges is growing and more and more adaptations are becoming available to the gamer with special needs.

AbleGamers.com posts game reviews in terms of the accessibility of the game, as well as information on assistive technology. The AbleGamers Foundation is leading the “includification” movement, working with game developers to allow games to be enjoyed by as many players as possible. They also provide grants to gamers who are in need of assistive technology.

AutCraft.com was started by a man with autism who has a son with autism. It is a safe environment where bullying is not tolerated. It can be a great way for kids with autism to develop social connections without having to try to interpret facial expressions or body language cues. It also offers a place where the very skills that set them apart from the general population will be valued.

A DIY option is the Makey Makey kit. If your child has fine motor issues this kit allows you to turn larger items into gaming controls, making it easier to play without fussing with those tiny buttons.

Although screen time needs to be limited and monitored, with these accommodations video games can bring benefits to kids with special needs in both the virtual and real world.

 Photo credit: sean dreilinger; CC license

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