Putting Kids On A Media Diet – Do you have a plan to manage your child’s screen time? Mine has been a constant struggle of trying to set media allowances for tv, computers, phones, video games and their dreaded tablet.
Putting Kids On A Media Diet
My screen time allowances and rules are never set in stone and vary wildly from day-to-day depending on how busy our family is. I make my efforts to get the kids away from the relentless media assault that seems to beckon my kids. I’ll snatch the tablet or simply tell my son and daughter to “do something, no ANYTHING else”. In short… my effort and the results have been way less than stellar.
The whole screen time problem isn’t just about 12 year olds zoning out on too much X-Box. Statistics also find that 38% of children under 2 use tablets and other gadgets (source). It’s easy to preach and condone about how ridiculous that sounds… until you’re stuck in a crowded waiting room with your kids (or someone else’s) in psychopath mode.
The putting kids on a media diet problem isn’t entirely new but more and more parents and doctors are starting to raise red flags. Worse, no one to this point has really addressed it or have approached the problem with a plan other than telling kids to put down the iPhone and go outside. The concern has always been there but the strategy has always been lacking. Either that or the recommendations have changed so much and haven’t caught up with the influx of gadgets.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is finally addressing the putting kids on a media diet concern and they’re coming up with the same questions about media and screen time that I’m sure many parents like myself have been asking for years (you can read their warning here). The AAP not just calls upon parents to take action in regards to media plans and managing screen time, they’re also pointing the need for educators AND pediatricians to step in and become more proactive. The AAP also has some tips on how to implement a media “diet” for kids in that article.
The 1960s, 70s, and 80s moms that plopped kids in front of the “boob tube” to watch some Sesame Street have nothing on the problems moms face today in a world with tablets, iPhones, sophisticated video games and endless social media.
Do you have a media plan fore putting kids on a media diet?
