Center on Media and Child Health

Piaget, Kids, and Technology

Psychologist Jean Piaget may have passed away before the advent of cell phones and the Internet, but his theories can provide guidance on when 21st century kids should get a hold of technological gadgets. 

A New York Times article describes how parents can use Piaget's developmental stages to guide them on technology appropriate for their kids:

• Age 0-2: Babies and toddlers should be focused on real experiences instead of mediated ones.
• Age 3-5: With kids starting to act out what they see in the real world, they can explore grown-up technologies adapted specifically for their age, such as child versions of digital cameras and computer games.
• Age 6-11: Kids still have trouble with abstract ideas so they should have a real balance between real experiences and mediated ones.  They need to be steered toward appropriate media by parents because there are a lot of websites and video games that they have the skill level for, but not the maturity to distinguish that the content does not represent reality.
  
• Age 12 and up: Kids are able to juggle information from more than one media simultaneously, and communication with peers is key.  Cell phones, laptops and Mp3 players are age-appropriate at this stage. 
  

Glamorizing Thinness through Pro-Anorexia Websites

Last week, the French parliament’s lower house adopted a bill that would make it illegal to publicly glamorize or encourage extreme thinness. In particular, the bill cracks down on “pro-ana”—or pro-anorexia—websites, where people with eating disorders can go for advice on how to lose weight, for photos of waif-like celebrities that offer “Thinspiration,” and for general support.

Pro-ED (eating disorder) websites have raised controversy for as long as they've existed--in fact, when public, most are taken down within days of appearing on the web. And although some call these sites sanctuaries for people with common experiences, others see them as "encouraging prolonged nutritional deprivation that would...[expose] them to risk of death or directly compromise health," which would make them illegal under this bill.

See research about pro-anorexia websites:

• Bardone-Cone et al (2007). "What does viewing a pro-anorexia website do? An experimental examination of website exposure and moderating effects."
• Bardone-Cone et al (2006). "Investigating the impact of pro-anorexia websites: a pilot study."
• Dias (2003). "The ANA sanctuary: Women's pro-anorexia narratives in cyberspace."
• Fox et al (2005). "Pro-anorexia, weight-loss drugs and the Internet: An 'anti-recovery' explanatory model of anorexia."

Earth Day and Turnoff Week are Here Again!

Today is Earth Day and we at CMCH encourage you to recycle, donate, or sell your unused electronics.  Getting them out of your house or office will help your family reduce the amount of media they use, help others who can use items you no longer want, and help the Earth by making sure materials are properly disposed.

This week also marks Turnoff Week, designed for families to spend time away from TV and other screen-time entertainment and explore alternative activities.  The American Academy of Pediatrics has teamed up with the We Can! campaign to promote three important behaviors: improved food choices, increased physical activity and reduced screen time.

**Update 4/24/08** Newsweek has listed our Spring Cleaning resources as one of their Top Picks for the Week!

What I Learned at the CCFC Summit

On Friday, I presented at the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood's Annual Summit.  My talk about research on media and sex was well-attended and lead to some great discussion among participants. 

I wanted to post about a few resources I became aware of through the Summit and pass them on to CMCH blog readers, since you may also be interested:

• Sarah Grimes, a PhD candidate at Simon Fraser University, presented her work on interactive websites and Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) for kids.  Turns out she has a blog about digital games and other technologies for children: Gamine Expedition
• In the main gathering area, there was an exhibit titled "Buy Me Something" by the talented photographer Nat Ward, who aims for these images to "challenge people to consider how toys and the mechanisms that facilitate their sale inform and reproduce a distinct set of culturally-defined values."  Click the arrow on the bottom right to see more images:  Buy Me Something
• The Media Education Foundation has a new video coming out in Fall 2008 about the commercialization of childhood.  CMCH Director Dr. Michael Rich makes an appearance around minute 3:37 in the trailer they previewed at the Summit: Consuming Kids

 

Boston Regulating Video Games?

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a measure to limit the sales of violent video games to minors.  Several other states including Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Michigan and California, have attempted similar measures but have all been denied because of Constitutional conflicts.

Dr. Michael Rich, Director of CMCH, was interviewed for a newscast and a podcast on this topic.

Best Advice? Ban Bedroom TVs

An article in the NY Times suggests that children should not have TV sets in their bedrooms.  The author points out studies that have connected children having bedroom TVs with negative effects on sleep, overweight, smoking uptake, and school functioning.  The CMCH Database of Research contains 24 studies that have examined some aspect of having televisions in kids' bedrooms.

The article suggests that these effects are because parents simply are not sure what kinds of shows or how long their kids are watching on these private televisions.

The article also mentions new research by Epstein et al where researchers put monitors on household televisions, which resulted in a reduction of hours kids spent in front of the TV and a decrease in Body Mass Index.

Baby Einstein No Longer Advertised as Educational

Last Summer we reported on a study of baby videos that showed children who regularly watched these programs scored about 10% lower on language skills than those who did not watch them. 

After this study was released, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) asked Disney, the parent company of Baby Einstein, to "release research showing that Baby Einstein videos are beneficial to babies or publicly acknowledge that no such research exists."

The CCFC has announced that this plea has resulted in a complete redesign of the Baby Einstein website, which no longer promotes their DVDs as educational.  Though the implication of the name Einstein remains the same, it's a step in the right direction. 

2 Video Game Helpers for Parents

With video games reaching an all-time record of $17.9 billion in sales for 2007, parents may need assistance in helping their kids use their games in safe and healthy ways.  Here are two new resources we just learned about:

Xbox offers family settings where parents can set timers for their kids, control which games they have access to, and require approval before connecting with new people.

WhatTheyPlay.com offers parent reviews of video games, descriptions of content, and images/video from the games themselves.  Users can search by the kind of video game system, the game rating, game title, or kind of content. 

 

Wii Helping Rehab Patients and Seniors

The Nintendo Wii, which allows movement in real-life time and space to control movement on a video screen, is offering a chance for rehab patients and seniors to take part in their favorite activities. 

This video shows a cerebral palsy patient, stroke victim, and disabled veteran all using Wii to practice their balance and hand-eye coordination as they attend physical therapy.

The Daily Times reports that older residents who never thought they'd bowl again were throwing strikes with gusto.  These kinds of activities encourage seniors to sharpen their movement skills. 

Handling Celeb Gossip with Kids

The following was written by Guest Blogger Dr. Gwenn, a pediatrician, health journalist, mother, and author of the blog Dr. Gwenn Is In.

Teen celebrity news is always adding that extra twist to our lives as parents, forcing us to answer our kids’ tough questions.  And the latest gossip about Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy is no exception. 

What is important is our reaction to their questions and our ability to answer them in a way that keeps them coming back with more questions. If we become too rigid or judgmental, they'll run and get their answers from someone else.

The other element of this picture is to help our kids see the difference between our world, the real world, and the "real" world of the celebrities they idolize. I try to get my girls to see that their idols are in a way always in a show and always "on". Their lives are very similar to the sit-coms they are hired for and really the best "reality TV" on air today!

Celebrity news like this always sparks some great articles on how to talk to kids about difficult topics. One of my favorites is from last December's Newsweek. Author Kathleen Deveny hits the nail on the head about celebrity news and kids in her last paragraph:

"So I vow not to bring the subject up with my daughter and if she brings it up with me I will try to find out what she thinks about it. I will try not to be harsh or judgmental about Ms. Spears, because I want my daughter to feel like she can talk to me about anything."

So, as 2008 gets more underway, put on your best "I'm hear if you want to talk" ears...and get ready for another year of celebrity news. Who knows what we are in for next!