Archive for the ‘Balancing Screen Time’ Category

“My child spends too much time on the computer!” “I wish video games weren’t so addicting for my kids!” “My kids are texting instead of practicing piano!” I’m sure every parent has thought at least some variation of these battle cries, and likely has uttered them in frustrated moments.  We live in a technology-saturated world,…Continue Reading

Many parents face the challenge of balancing their children’s screen time almost on a daily basis. As technology becomes a necessity for nearly everyone these –including children and teenagers. While the internet is useful with school projects, it’s likely that the increased use of different media platforms is primarily caused by recreation. In the mid…Continue Reading

Limit the amount of your child’s screen time. How many of you have heard this said before? In the field of media literacy education, especially if you are a protectionist, this is a directive that is often given to parents and educators. However, the “screen” has become much more prevalent in our world.  It is…Continue Reading

Children and technology— it’s a total love connection. Together, they create a buzz in the air that can practically be felt. And with every single connected technology in the house cranked to the max, it’s no wonder. Computers, cell phones, gaming media—the amount of energy used by these devices alone could power a small village…Continue Reading

8-18 year old youth now spend an average of 10 hours and 45 minutes a day, seven days a week with media! Based on the recent research studies, Internet addiction- Neuroimaging findings and Violent Video Games Alter Brain Function in Young Men, this week’s iKeepCurrent curriculum delves into the specifics of internet addiction. Although most…Continue Reading

During Hurricane Irene, I spent what seemed like a very long week without electricity. You never truly realize how much you miss something until it is gone. In this case, it was felt even more profoundly because our lives are shaped by so much technology. The nonexistence of the computer, television, internet, and other more…Continue Reading

By Belinha S. De Abreu, PhD. As we came to the end of another school year, the question was often posed to me whether or not our students are fed too much technology.  How do we turn them off? Shouldn’t we turn them off? In truth, we should all be turned off from the influx…Continue Reading

By Emily Ensign Dr. Kimberly Young, one of the world’s experts on Internet addiction and founder of the Center for Internet Recovery, has recently published a new book entitled Internet Addition: A Handbook and Guide for Evaluation and Treatment. The origins of this new book can be traced back to 15 years ago—a time when…Continue Reading

New York Times Provides In-Depth Look at Teens in California Thanks to technology today’s youth have great advantages, but also face great challenges to stay focused on what’s most important. The New York Times recently reported on the difficulties technology presents to teens. The Times interviewed five students from Woodside High School in Redwood City,…Continue Reading

Photo credit: noii via Flickr. See CC license. Can You Turn Off Electronic Screens for a Week? It’s no surprise that we spend many hours each day in front of screens. A recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that kids spend nearly eight hours a day with various forms of media, including TV, Internet…Continue Reading

Photo credit: Federico Morando via Flickr. See CC license. Balance Real Life With Screen Time One person recently asked whether kids with ADHD are more prone to develop technology addictions. Dr. Michael Rich of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, recently…Continue Reading

Learn to Balance Real Life with Screen Time Have you ever wondered how dependent you or your children are on the Internet? Take the Internet Addiction Test to help you identify problem areas and make adjustments. This 20-question self-test was developed by Dr. Kimberly Young, leading researcher and clinician treating Internet Addictive Disorder (IAD). The…Continue Reading

Photo credit: Sean Dreilinger Teach Children How to Balance Real Life With Screen Time A recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health reported "a clear relationship … between online gaming and Compulsive Internet Use." The study examined the link between time spent with various Internet applications and compulsive Internet use in adolescents. Results showed…Continue Reading

Balance Real Life With Screen Time People who spend a large amount of time browsing the Net “report high levels of depressive symptoms,” according to British scientists at the University of Leeds. The researchers studied the Internet use and depression levels of 1,319 Britons between age 16 and 51. Leeds psychologists were unable to determine whether…Continue Reading

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Dr. Michael Rich Says Parent Involvement is Critical The following is information shared with us by the Harvard Center on Media and Child Health (CMCH). This is in response to the report released this week from the Kaiser Family Foundation that said kids…Continue Reading

Photo credit: Pete Prodoehl rasterweb.net/raster/ Kids Spend More Time Consuming Media on Cell Phone Than Talking By Kim Scardino The Kaiser Family Foundation held an event yesterday to discuss findings from its most recent study entitled, “Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year Olds.” The study reveals that media use among kids…Continue Reading

Teach Children to Balance Real Life With Screen Time According to a recent survey, ninety percent of the survey participants were normal users of the Internet, but about 10 percent were moderately addicted and 0.6 percent were severely addicted. It is interesting to note that those in the survey with Internet addiction had emotional problems,…Continue Reading

The Mediatrician Answers the Question Guest blogThe Mediatrician answers a question from this blog post Q: This Summer I was surprised to find myself compulsively checking my favorite websites several times an hour.  Then we took a family vacation and I went cold turkey with no Internet. Not only did I manage to survive without…Continue Reading

5 Steps to Overcoming IAD Most people will admit social networking sites can be very addictive. With this new form of entertainment, the need to balance real life with screen time has never been greater. The Journal Record recently reported that social media sites are magnifying Internet addiction and causing what is called Internet addiction disorder…Continue Reading

Children Need to Balance Real Life With Screen Time The Gadget Blog recently reported that dopamine—a neurotransmitting chemical linked to feelings of happiness and satisfaction—can also reward us when we spend oodles of time learning meaningless information as we wander aimlessly across the Internet. The article says this happens because dopamine “rewards us when we…Continue Reading