Guidance from parents fosters a healthy media diet in kids

From TV to smartphones to social media, our lives are dominated by 24/7 media exposure. Despite this, many children and teens have few rules around their media use.

While media consumption by itself is not the leading cause of any health problem in the United States, it can contribute to numerous health risks, say experts. At the same time, kids can learn many positive things from “pro-social” media. The key is to teach children to make healthy media choices.

“It is time for a renewed commitment to change the way we address media use,” says Dr. Thomas K. McInerny, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “In the same way you may need to guide children on how to eat nutritiously, you can foster a healthy media diet.”

In a digital world ever in flux, the AAP offers some key tips for families looking to make smarter media choices:

•             Make a media use plan, including mealtime and bedtime “curfews” for media devices. Media use plans take into account not only the quantity, but the quality and location of media use.

•             Excessive media use has been associated with obesity, lack of sleep, school problems, aggression and other behavior issues. Limit entertainment screen time to less than one or two hours per day.

•             For children under 2, substitute unstructured play and human interaction for screen time.

•             Take an active role in your children’s media education by co-viewing programs with them and discussing values.

•             Keep the computer in a public part of your home, so you can check on what your kids are doing online and how much time they are spending there.