With media being so pervasive in all its forms, one of the major challenges for parents is how to manage a child's access and exposure to media. This becomes more challenging as children get older and as they starting pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable and what's not.
Media is increasingly seen by many child health experts as an ‘environmental health’ issue – just as the basics such as air and water are.
"The idea is to educate and empower children to create and consume media in ways that optimise their health and development," says paediatrician and dad, Dr Michael Rich.
Here are five tips put together by Dr Rich and his colleagues at the Children’s Media Centre at Boston Children’s Hospital specifically to help parents of 10-12-year-old pre-adolescents (known as 'tweens') to use media so it positively impacts your child's life.
1. Message Matters
All media are educational but their lessons can be either accurate and healthful, or misleading and harmful. Help your child be mindful about the videos they want and the music they listen to by talking about the messages portrayed, what it means to them and why.
Teach tweens to hone their media literacy skills by thinking critically about TV shows, movies and advertisements they see.
2. Environment Matters
Keeping TVs, computers and video game consoles in public, non-eating areas of the house help you to keep track of what your tweens are using and how, and to encourage the right use of them amongst the entire family. It also means that you are there to provide guidance on what media to use and you are in a better position to detect any problems that may develop.
Keep screen media out of tween bedrooms. Not only will it mean management of their media use and time, but it will also help them avoid problems with sleep.
3. Developmental Stage Matters
During the tween stage of development, children start to think differently about school and learning. They place more importance on friendships and begin puberty. Their use of media will reflect those changes also and positive use of media can help them navigate this stage of their life.
4. Information Matters
Make informed decisions about the type of media you allow your twen to use.
Set up social media accounts with them, read reviews and ratings, and watch previews for media before allowing your tween to engage with content.
If your tween wants to use an App, watch a movie or subscribe to something you're not familiar with, ask him or her to teach you about it. This way they can feel as if they're helping you; you can determine whether it is developmentally appropriate for him or her; and you can also find out about what interests them.
5. Amount Matters
Help your tween create a weekly schedule so she can find a balance between time for media, time for family, friends, actvities, school and sleep. Ensuring balance between these areas can help avoid an increased risk of depression, obesity and sleep deprivation.
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