The American Academy of Pediatrics just made a new statement on kids and media. Here is a review of what they had to say.

Tips for Parents on Making a Family Media Use Plan:

Make a media use plan for your family.  

• Write rules down,
• Check quantity and quality of media, take a look at the location of your tvs, phones, and computers including tablets.
• Location- no screens in kids bedrooms and have a “media curfew”. Have a control center where all electronics get plugged in a night.
• Excessive media use has been associated with obesity, lack of sleep, school problems, aggression and other behavior issues. Entertainment screen time should be no longer than 2 hours a day.
• No screen time for children under 2 years of age.
• Co-viewing programs with your kids and discussing values , look for educational media choices.
• The Internet can also be a place where kids can run into trouble, keep the computer in a public part of your home.

Discuss the Internet Rules:

• Discuss “digital footprint” with your children. Let them know that where they go on the internet can be remembered…nothing they do online is a secret.

Discuss Social Media:

• Become familiar with popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram get your own accounts.
• By “friending” your kids, you can monitor their online presence. Pre-teens should not have accounts on social media sites.
• If you have young children, you can create accounts on sites that are designed specifically for kids their age.

Cyberbullying:

• Good “digital citizens”, discuss the serious consequences of online bullying.
• If your child is the victim of cyberbullying, it is important to take action with the other parents and the school if appropriate.
• Attend to children’s and teens’ mental health needs promptly if they are being bullied online, and consider separating them from the social media platforms where bullying occurs.
• Sexting of any kind is not appropriate and remember the internet is NOT private.
• Check out a sample “Media Time Family Pledge” for online media use.

How do you monitor your kids’ screen time?

Additional Information:

• Children, Adolescents and Media (AAP Policy Statement)
• The Impact of Social Media Use on Children, Adolescents and Families (AAP Clinical Report)
• Children, Adolescents, Obesity and the Media (AAP Policy Statement)
• Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media (AAP Policy Statement)
• Media Use By Children Younger Than 2 Years (AAP Policy Statement)

via Doctors’ Rx: Make a plan to manage kids’ media use.