Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents & Family Media Plan (Available in Spanish) (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Description:

Abstract

This policy statement focuses on children and adolescents 5 through 18 abstract years of age. Research suggests both benefi ts and risks of media use for the health of children and teenagers. Benefits include exposure to new ideas and knowledge acquisition, increased opportunities for social contact and support, and new opportunities to access health-promotion messages and information. Risks include negative health effects on weight and sleep; exposure to inaccurate, inappropriate, or unsafe content and contacts; and compromised privacy and confidentiality. Parents face challenges in monitoring their children’s and their own media use and in serving as positive role models. In this new era, evidence regarding healthy media use does not support a one-size-fits-all approach. Parents and pediatricians can work together to develop a Family Media Use Plan that considers their children’s developmental stages to individualize an appropriate balance for media time and consistent rules about media use, to mentor their children, to set  boundaries for accessing content and displaying personal information, and to implement open family communication about media.