Kids need 'media use plan' from parents : Pediatricians

Children and teenagers are immersed in an environment saturated with electronic media, ranging from the TV on the wall to the tablet or smartphone in their hands.
Recognizing this, parents need to work with their kids to develop a media use plan for the entire family, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a set of new recommendations unveiled Friday.
Some specific suggestions for such a plan include: No screens for kids under 18 months; only one hour of media a day for toddlers; and no use of digital media as a "soothing tool" for kids.
In general, any media use plan must balance healthy activities like exercise, sleep and family time against the use of media devices, said Dr. Megan Moreno, an associate professor of pediatrics at Seattle Children's Hospital. She is the lead author of the AAP's policy statement on media use in school-aged children and teens.
"We're really promoting the idea that every family member needs to prioritize these key health behaviors, and then look at the time that's left over and deciding how much of that time should be spent on media, and what kinds of media we want to engage in," Moreno said.
Media should be limited to one hour a day for children ages 2 to 5, and it should involve high-quality programming that parents and kids can engage with together, the statement says. With the exception of video-chatting, digital media should be avoided altogether in children younger than 18 months old. Older children and teenagers should have consistent and reasonable limits placed on their media use, and parents need to follow similar limits, the AAP recommends.
"For the first time, we also hold parents accountable for the same standards that we hold kids to," Moreno added. "We ask parents to follow the same guidelines. 
       
      HealthDay

Kids need media use plan from parents : Pediatricians

Children and teenagers are immersed in an environment saturated with electronic media, ranging from the TV on the wall to the tablet or smartphone in their hands. Recognizing this, parents need to work with their kids to develop a media use plan for the entire family, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a set of new recommendations unveiled Friday. Some specific suggestions for such a plan include: No screens for kids under 18 months; only one hour of media a day for toddlers; and no use of digital media as a soothing tool for kids. In general, any media use plan must balance healthy activities like exercise, sleep and family time against the use of media devices, said Dr. Megan Moreno, an associate professor of pediatrics at Seattle Childrens Hospital. She is the lead author of the AAPs policy statement on media use in school-aged children and teens. Were really promoting the idea that every family member needs to prioritize these key health behaviors, and then look at the time thats left over and deciding how much of that time should be spent on media, and what kinds of media we want to engage in, Moreno said. Media should be limited to one hour a day for children ages 2 to 5, and it should involve high-quality programming that parents and kids can engage with together, the statement says. With the exception of video-chatting, digital media should be avoided altogether in children younger than 18 months old. Older children and teenagers should have consistent and reasonable limits placed on their media use, and parents need to follow similar limits, the AAP recommends. For the first time, we also hold parents accountable for the same standards that we hold kids to, Moreno added. We ask parents to follow the same guidelines. HealthDay