Understanding the source of child anxiety is important. Some fears may be easily soothed; others, such as fears of bullying, may require adult intervention.
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Move over millennials, there’s a new generation in town. Dubbed ‘iGen,’ they differ from their predecessors on a range of measures, from mental health to time spent with friends.
Hang on mum, I’m just catching up on The Conversation.
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For decades, parents have fretted over ‘screen time,’ limiting the hours their children spend looking at a screen. But as times change, so does media… and how parents should (or shouldn’t) regulate it.
Why not ask a parent to play a problem-solving video game with you?
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When children work on their school assignments, unknown to them, the software they use is busy collecting data. These data are then used for individualized marketing of junk foods and other products.
Tablets were not invented when the original rules on screen time for children were developed.
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Kids who watch educational programs such as ‘Sesame Street’ show better academic skills. But this does not mean all children can learn from educational media.
How much screen time should kids get?
Yan Chi Vinci Chow
Research shows that preschool children take characters from popular television shows and movies and blend them together to create complex oral stories.
The original recommendations were made with TV shows and films in mind.
'Watching TV' via www.shutterstock.com
The American Academy of Pediatrics has called its guideline of two hours per day of screen time outdated. So what about the decades of research that led to the original recommendation?
Guidelines recommending no screens before age two came before interactive and educational tablet and smart phone apps.
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There is no question that excessive screen time can have negative impacts on children’s sleep and development generally, but is there sufficient evidence for an all-out ban before age two?
Too much going on in there.
messy mind by Ollyy/www.shutterstock.com
It’s almost universally recommended that for optimal physical and mental health, children engage in 60 minutes of physical activity each day and limit the time they spend watching TV, playing computer…
Kids don’t spend enough time outside, meaning critical skills in decision making and risk assessment are stunted.
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Parents are often told they need to get their kids outside to play to combat childhood obesity - which is more widespread than ever. But outside play isn’t only important in combating childhood obesity…
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary
Assistant professor, School of Psychology, Scientist, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa