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Parents Need Screen Time Limits Too

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Parents should reconsider their relationship with their phones; save the most stressful aspects of smartphone use for when other family members aren’t present; and focus on mealtimes, bedtimes and other downtime by unplugging with the family, according to a one-page resource in JAMA Pediatrics. The resource also urged parents to avoid undesirable phone use behaviors that may be imitated by their children, as well as to resist documenting and posting everything.

Limiting Screen Time for Kids

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Are you worried your kids are spending too much time in front of a screen?  Find out how much screen time is too much and discover easy ways to limit your kids’ time in front of a screen.

Phones vs. Respect for Elders

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From Common Sense Media

How many of us have witnessed a teacher, coach, or grandparent try to make conversation with kids who can’t unglue their eyes from a screen? Of course it’s only polite to put down your phone when anyone is talking to you, but it can be especially embarrassing for parents who were raised to defer to the older generation.

What to do: Make your expectations very clear. Talk to your kids about how important it is to use good manners when you’re on your phone. Explain that it can be very difficult to put down your phone when you’re in the middle of a game or chat, but you believe it’s important to pay special respect to people like grandparents and elders. And of course, respect breeds respect, so put your phone down when your kid talks to you (unless it’s about how much redstone they need to build a castle in Minecraft, in which case it’s totally OK to ignore them!).

How to Create a Digital Detox for Your Child

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For many parents, turning on the TV the second they walk in the door or compulsively checking social media becomes a habit. Kids often develop unhealthy screen time habits too, by turning on video games before school or by getting on the computer the second they walk through the door.

Making a conscious choice to unplug for an extended period of time can break some of those bad habits. When kids get out of their environment and step away from their usual routine, they have an opportunity to develop new habits.

Here are a few strategies for creating a digital detox:

  • A week-long break from electronics – A camping trip, a vacation in the mountains, or a week in a remote cabin could get everyone away from the electronics. Stepping away from technology could renew everyone’s appreciation for simple activities, like board games or playing catch.
  • An electronics-free weekend – If you can’t afford a vacation—or you have a job that makes unplugging for a week seem like an impossibility—consider a digital detox on a smaller scale. Consider making it happen to unplug a few weekends each year.
  • A monthly digital-free day – Perhaps the first Saturday of every month means no screens or the last Sunday of the month is a quiet family day. Commit to spending quality time together without using electronics for one day every month.

Stepping away from electronics for a few days can be a great experiment to see if it changes your child’s behavior.  A short break could boost her mood (after she gets over the initial horror of not having her electronics) and increase her motivation to get her work done.

Of course, it’s important to be a good role model when it comes to electronics. If you tell your child to turn off the electronics while you’re sitting behind the computer, your words won’t be effective. So be willing to go through a digital detox with your child. It could be good for the whole family to step away from electronics for a short time.

Eat and Play Together for Healthier Children

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Experts say that getting children to eat more healthfully, be more active and spend less time on electronic devices are key to combating childhood obesity.

How important is parental influence when it comes to these behaviors?

This study

The study involved 3,206 parents, more women than men (average age, 42), who had a child younger than 18. They were questioned about the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity their child got each week, how many servings of fruit and vegetables their child ate daily and how long their child typically spent each day in front of a television, DVD player, computer, tablet or video-game console. Parents also were questioned about their support for and involvement in such behaviors. Overall, the more active and engaged parents were in these aspects of their children’s lives, the more likely the children were to meet guidelines on healthy behaviors.

Children whose parents took them to parks, playgrounds or sports activities were twice as likely to meet physical activity guidelines as children whose parents did not do this. The same held true when parents and children participated together in physical activities. When families ate meals together away from television, the children were 67 percent more likely to meet guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption than were children in families that combined mealtime and television watching. When parents gave children fruit and vegetables for between-meal snacks, the children were five times as likely as others to meet the consumption goals. As for screen time, children were twice as likely to meet guidelines if their parents set and enforced restrictions on the use of electronic devices as were children who did not have such rules. However, when families watched television together, the children were 33 percent less likely to meet screen-time guidelines.

Learn more

Information on healthy behaviors for children is available at kidshealth.org (click on “for Parents”) and at healthychildren.org (click on “Healthy Living”). For information on screen-time guidance, go to mayoclinic.org (search “screen time”).

‘Screenagers Documentary Looks at Youths’ Digital Device Usage

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Young people spend an average of 6.5 hours a day on cell phones, computers and other devices. That doesn’t include the time they use screens for school and homework. ‘Screenagers: Growing up in the Digital Age?’ is a documentary that explores how much screen time healthy. Physician and mother of two Dr. Delaney Ruston became interested in this issue when her preteen started begging for a smart phone. Dr. Ruston saw other parents equally confused on how to balance technology with a young developing mind.  She decided to delve deep into the science behind screen time to understand how it affects young people’s minds and development.

Through personal stories and input from leading researchers, SCREENAGERS sheds light on the impact this screen time is having on kids. The documentary explores how learning, playing and socializing online affects teens’ developing attention span, fragile self-esteem and moral instincts. SCREENAGERS examines the real risks of failing in school, social isolation and digital addiction. Ultimately, the film explores solutions to handle screen time and provides parents with tools to help young people develop self-control and find balance in their digital lives.

Click here to learn more, including the opportunity to book a screening

Click here for an interview with Dr. Delaney Ruston, the director of “Screenagers” about her own family’s messy struggles with digital distractions, and about the surprising insights she learned making this film.

Kids And Screen Time: A Peek At Upcoming Guidance

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Young boy in bedroom using laptop and listening to MP3 player

Adapted from NPR Ed

According to Common Sense Media, tweens log 4 1/2 hours of screen time a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. For teens, it’s even higher: nearly seven hours a day. And that doesn’t include time spent using devices for school or in school.

From babies with iPads to Chromebooks in classrooms, digital devices seem more ubiquitous every year. And one of the hottest issues today in both parenting and education circles is the proper role of electronic media in children’s lives.

There’s research to support both the benefits and dangers of digital media for developing minds. Plenty of questions remain unanswered.

But those of us raising and teaching children can’t afford to wait years for the final evidence to come in. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics plans to update its guidelines on media use later this year. Current recommendations are to avoid all screens for children under 2, and to allow a maximum of two hours per day of high-quality material for older children.

NPR spoke with David Hill, chairman of the AAP Council on Communications and Media and a member of the AAP Children, Adolescents and Media Leadership Working Group, to hear about the upcoming recommendations and to get some advice on how to use screens wisely.

Click here to read the interview

Teens Spend More Hours Consuming Media Than Sleeping

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­Young boy in bedroom using laptop and listening to MP3 player

A recent report on media use reveals that teens are now spending more hours consuming media than sleeping. The average American teenager is spending about nine hours a day on entertainment media alone.  The research shows that on average, kids are spending about 40% of this time on “passive consumption” compared with just 3% of their time on content creation.
Studies have shown that excessive media use can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity. In addition, the Internet and cell phones can provide platforms for illicit and risky behaviors.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends two hours or less of screen time per day for children.  So how do we encourage our children to put down the electronic devices and engage in other activities?  Here are our top suggestions:

Watch your own screen habits. Although your teen may not seem to pay attention to anything you do or say, you are still her most important role model. So you can’t tell her to cut back on TV time if you’re watching endless hours of TV, texting while you’re driving, or eating dinner with your Blackberry on the table.

Remind teens to limit screen usage. Banning electronics completely isn’t realistic these days, but it’s important to let your teen know you’re paying attention to how much time she’s on a screen.

Encourage activities that involve socializing. Look for activities and clubs that engage your teen socially, so he will get out and be with other people.

Create screen rules together. You’ll be more likely to get your teen’s buy-in if you come up with screen-time rules as a family.

Talk about it. Simply setting limits won’t go over well with older teens, who need to have rules that make sense to them.

 

Blog: Tips to Decrease Screen Time From a School Nurse

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Charlotte Green - Nurse 9th Grade Center

Charlotte Deehr, RN- School Nurse, WPHS 9th Grade Center

Written by Charlotte Deehr, RN, WPHS 9th Grade Center School Nurse

Learn more about Charlotte

My childhood unfolded in the last few years before the internet even came into being. I remember being 14 and AOL was the new big thing, chatting with friends through the computer? Amazing! However, today’s kids have lived their entire lives with bleeps, buzzes and signals coming from many channels of information. Parents and teachers alike worry about the impact that constant multitasking is having on children’s developing brains.

Even at a young age children are drawn to screens and smart phones. My own 2 month old will turn his head to see the T.V if he can, after all the noise, pictures and colors must be terribly interesting to him. So how do we ensure our kids don’t grow up to be screen-a-holics when there is clearly such a pull? And for parents, who themselves have plugged in. How do we reconnect and unplug in a way that’s fun, and functional? After all, we can’t ask our children to unplug when we ourselves can’t.

This is not just some thought, idea, or inane theory about how to reconnect with your kids and support their h45044ealthy development. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under 2 and limited screen time for kids over two. Their website claims that the average amount of screen time for today’s children is 7 HOURS per DAY. Whoa. That’s more than half of a typical child’s waking hours in a day! There is an increasing body of research that shows that excessive screen time can lead to attention problems, social delays, and an increase in violent behavior. Interaction with a live human being is clearly what human babies and young children need more than anything else. In fact, babies deprived of human contact die, even if they’re provided with adequate food, clothing, and shelter. Freedom to explore their world in a physical and sensory way is also crucial to healthy development. So, how can we help kids avoid media when screens are so prevalent and so unbelievably addictive? I’m glad you asked.

  1. MODEL WHAT YOU WANT

If you want your child to unplug, then you need to unplug. Yes it will be hard not to reach for the phone to check. Put it on silent, then you won’t hear the ding of the alerts, sit down, and enjoy dinner. Without the background noise. Show your children how to connect on a personal level not just digital.

  1. PLAY DATES

Make them no screen time play dates. Get outside, explore, or head to a local museum/park etc. This not only gets them away from screens it also challenges them to socialize, interact and get creative.

  1. OFFER A VARIETY

Books, games, puzzles, crafts, any other diversional activities. If your child isn’t getting into it right away try playing WITH them. Soon they will be immersed and you may be able to return to what you were doing.

  1. ARTS AND CRAFTS

Get some chalk and decorate the driveway, make some fun crafts to hang around the house for various holidays *even silly ones like national dog day or talk like a pirate day.* This is where Pinterest comes in handy. And have the kids pitch in to help clean up afterwards, don’t forget to have fun yourself.

  1. TUMBLE TIME

A little bit of roughhousing does everyone some good. Have some play time with your children, remember to let them win!

  1. YARD WORK

No one likes yard work, unless it’s the fun kind. Try planting a small garden, or challenging your kids to a contest of who can rake leaves the quickest (and throw in a prize if you like, something as simple as an ice cream cone, or no dish duty for the winner.)

  1. READ ALOUD

It doesn’t matter the age, any child can get transported away to another world in the form of a good story. Get your kids involved by alternating who reads, and you can even do voices for characters if you are feeling spunky. Pretty soon your child will be begging for their daily chapter.

 

In a society inundated by technology and digital relationships we need to be mindful to take a moment to unplug, reconnect with ourselves and our fellow humans.

A Healthy and Happy Transition Back to School

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Going back to school means a transition from the generally laid back summer days to more structured school days.  It can also mean added stress for students and a need for increased awareness from parents.

Here a few tips we’ve gathered to help you and your kids experience a healthy and happy transition back to school:

Headaches

Boy_with_headacheBack to school may mean an increase in headaches for your child.  This can be a result of a change in their bedtime routine, increased academic stress, too much screen time, not enough exercise and more.  To decrease the likelihood of your child having headaches, makes sure they do the following:

Get enough sleep (sleep guidelines by age group can be found here)

No more than two hours of daily screen time (screen time guidelines for children can be found here)

Stay hydrated (tips to prevent dehydration in children can be found here)

Move 60 minutes/day (tips for kids’ physical activity can be found here)

For additional information on back to school related headaches, click here.

 

Backpack Safety

Three kindergarten girls standing togetherBackpacks are a necessity for students to carry their books, papers, and other school essentials.  However, a heavy backpack can cause injury to students.  Most doctors and physical therapists recommend that kids carry no more than 10% to 15% of their body weight in their packs.

For additional information on backpack safety, click here

 

 

School Breakfast and Lunch

device-nuggets-htc-dnaWant to know what options are available to your student through their school’s breakfast and/or lunch program?  Check our Orange County Public Schools’ Food and Nutrition Department’s (OCPS FNS) interactive menus here.  The menus allow the user to look up nutritional makeup of the food item as well as view a picture of the actual food item from OCPS FNS.  This service is also available through the app store here.   Bonus, the app allows parents and students to provide direct feedback to OCPS FNS about the food served in their school.

 

 

 

 

Stopping for School Buss

Each year, Florida drivers illegally pass school buses nearly two million times. Each illegal pass-by could result in a tragic injury or fatality of a student. The inconvenience of an extra few seconds spent waiting for a stopped school bus is insignificant compared to the loss of a child’s life, which is why Florida’s departments of Education, Transportation, and Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, have teamed up to develop the Stop on Red, Kids Ahead campaign to remind drivers of the laws and safe practices to take when approaching a school bus.

StoppingForSchoolBusSmaller

For additional back to school health tips, visit our friends at KidsHealth.

Have a back to school health tip you would like to share with us?  Leave a comment or visit us on Facebook: HealthyKidsTodayMagazine or Twitter:  @HealthyKids2Day