Four tips for managing your kids’ screen time
Minimize screen use, especially for the youngest children:
Talking to kids about racial stereotypes
Racial stereotypes abound on television, and children's programming is no exception. The turban-wearing bad guy, the brainy Asian, and the Black basketball whiz are just a few of the stereotypes reinforced in children's cartoons, films and TV shows. Spotting these stereotypes is often difficult for children; to them, the tomahawk-wielding Indian or the Asian karate expert is a familiar, easily-understood and often funny character. So how do you help children understand these images for what they are – oversimplified, generalizations?
Talking to kids about media violence
Talking to kids about violence in the media they consume – television, movies, video games, music and the Internet – can help them put media violence into perspective and perhaps diffuse some of its power.
The Medium is the Message
As a family, we’re watching a lot less advertising these days – at least, I thought we were. That’s because most of our family watching is on Netflix, which has no commercials, and the few shows we watch on regular TV are recorded in advance and ads are skipped over. I can easily go months without being aware of what new movies are coming up, which new developments have occurred in the world of toothpaste, and what new packaging strides Coke and Pepsi have made.
Media Safety Tips: Middle Childhood (6-9 years old)
Students in the primary grades are already active users of digital technologies. While they are usually supervised when they go online there are still many issues that need to be considered. Over this period they start to integrate computers and the Internet into their daily lives. By the end they typically are highly active in games and virtual environments. They develop their ability to understand abstract concepts over this period, but these need to be introduced in the context of everyday activities. For instance, the importance of online privacy can be introduced by making them think of times or places in the home that they would want to keep private.