IS THIS YOUR FAMILY?

A Common Sight Around America's Dinner Tables

Researchers have found that families who share meals together on a regular basis, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner reap many benefits.

• Family meals are more nutritious. A Harvard study found that families who eat together are twice as likely to eat their five servings of fruits and vegetables as families who don’t eat together.
• Kids who eat family meals tend to eat a wider variety of foods and become less picky eaters.
• Family meals provide an opportunity for family members to come together, strengthen ties and build better relationships. They build a sense of belonging which leads to better self-esteem.
• Family meals offer parents a chance to be role models. They can set an example of healthy eating and polite table manners.
• Family meals help prevent obesity. Research shows that people tend to eat less during family meals because they eat more slowly, and talk more.
• Research shows that kids who eat family meals have a lower chance of engaging in high risk behaviors such as substance use and violence, and fewer psychological problems.

Tips for eating more meals together:

• Make family meals a priority in your household. Focus on the importance of being together as a family more than on making an elaborate meal.
• Start with small steps. Increase the number of family meals by one extra meal a week.
• As a family, plan a menu for the week and make a grocery list.
• Let the kids be involved. Let them help prepare food or set the table.
• Work as a family to clean up afterwards.
• Turn off the TV.

It’s worth a try.  More family mealtime could mean large rewards for your family.

https://www.fcconline.org/the-importance-of-family-mealtime/

Screen Time or One-on-One Interactions?

Have you ever wondered whether watching "educational programs" on a screen or one-on-one interaction is better for a child's learning? Kimberly Noble from the Child Mind Institute answers this question in a one minute video. Check it out here:
https://childmind.org/article/why-is-screentime-bad-for-young-children/

Are Cell Phones/Technology Effecting the Classrooms?

Are students tuning out their peers and teachers when focused on their phones?

Can and should smartphones be used to enhance learning for all students? Or should we avoid using phones in class because of the distractibility factor, and because many kids seem resistant to using them for learning?

• Richard Freed, a clinical psychologist and the author of Wired Child: Reclaiming Childhood in a Digital Age, who works with a wide range of children and families in the San Francisco Bay area.
  “High levels of smartphone use by teens often have a detrimental effect on achievement, because teen phone use is dominated by entertainment, not learning, applications,” he said

• Struggling students (from all backgrounds) seem to be more susceptible than their higher-achieving peers to using their smartphones for noneducational purposes while in school.

• Also, the device does make a difference: When I design and schedule instruction allowing for one-to-one computer access, students get better results than when I try the same thing with one-to-one phone access.

Distraction:

• “I see students using cellphones and earbuds as a way to disengage with their peers,” he said. “The isolation squanders opportunities for students to learn to engage and communicate with empathy.” The cellphones and easy access to social media, according to Meyer, are also at the root of much of the student disruption and conflict that happens on campus. Fern Creek’s principal, Nathan Meyer

• The findings of a recent study on student phone access and the achievement gap by Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy for the London School of Economics and Political Science echoed my concerns. “We find that mobile phone bans have very different effects on different types of students,” the authors wrote. “Banning mobile phones improves outcomes for the low-achieving students … the most, and has no significant impact on high achievers.”

• Researchers at Kent State University, for example, found that among college students, more daily cellphone use (including smartphones) correlated with lower overall GPAs. The research team surveyed more than 500 students, controlling for demographics and high-school GPA, among other factors. If college students are affected by excessive phone use, then surely younger students with too much access to their phones and too little self-control and guidance would be just as affected academically if not more.

“It’s like giving kids equal access to cigarettes and candy ... teens are not as adept at understanding risk and cause and effect.”

• Some school districts with large percentages of struggling students have forged ahead to increase student access to their phones. Last year, New York City’s public-school system lifted its ban.
  “It’s like giving kids equal access to cigarettes and candy,” Freed said. “There is a reason that adults have tried to limit and regulate young people’s behavior, given that teens are not as adept at understanding risk and cause and effect.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/04/do-smartphones-have-a-place-in-the-classroom/480231/ 

Parenting Tips in Digital Age

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CHILDREN AND TECHNOLOGY: PARENTING TIPS FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

Smartphones, laptops, and tablets, oh my! We love all sorts of technologies ourselves but worry about the effect of too much technology on our children. According to a study by Common Sense Media in 2013, the total average screen time for children ages 0-8 years is just under two hours a day. Traditional screen time in front of a TV is still the preferred form of screen time, but not surprisingly, mobile screen time is up. According to the study, 38% of children under two have used a mobile device.

The American Academy of Pediatrics along with the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity recommends that children under two have no screen time. For children ages 2-5 years, the recommendation for children and technology at home ranges from 1-2 hours per day. The limits are recommended for many reasons, including:

• Sedentary activities like watching TV or playing with smartphone apps limit children’s time to be physically active, important for growing bodies.
• Unscreened media content may expose children to food and beverage advertisement for kids, or sexual and violent content.
• Children benefit from playtime learning and through their interactions with other children and adults. The use of technology is often a solitary experience, limiting chances for developing social skills through joint play activities.
• Excessive screen time for children has been linked to irregular sleep, behavioral problems, academic lags, and more.

KIDS & TECHNOLOGY: HOW TO HELP MAINTAIN HEALTHY TECHNOLOGY USAGE

Passive vs. Interactive Technology: Of course, not all technology experiences are equal. Non-interactive or passive technology like television, movie viewing or streaming media provides no opportunities for hands-on learning, which we know is key for young children's development. On the other hand, interactive media like ebooks, searching on the internet to solve a problem, or experimenting with educational apps for kids have greater potential than passive experiences. Pre-screening is always recommended with either interactive or non-interactive technology.

We can borrow some terms from the field of early childhood education to guide our decision-making about technology and children: developmentally appropriate practice and intentionality. When you consider the development appropriateness of technology for children, you take into account your child's age, developmental level, and individual characteristics. Ask yourself questions like "Is this movie and the violence it includes appropriate for my five-year-old who tends to act out everything he sees?"

Intentionality refers to the deliberate choices teachers and parents make about what kind of educational technology might be useful to a particular child's development. For instance, if your child loves to draw and tell stories, give your child many intentional opportunities to build those skills. If you want your child to also be technologically literate, look for software or apps that allow your child to be a media creator rather than just a game player. Or look for technology that encourages creativity, exploration, pretend play, peer interactions and more.

As with most parenting decisions, you have to examine the recommendations and figure out what is best for your family in the digital age. If having your children underfoot while you are trying to prepare dinner results in you losing your patience, then maybe a little video viewing at that time may be a preferred alternative. And of course, you are not a "bad parent" if you occasionally go over the above suggested daily limits. Here are a few thoughts to consider when establishing your family's approach to screen time:

• Establish your own family rules for screen time. Consider less screen time during the week and relax a little on weekends.
• Consider an occasional screen free week or day for the whole family to participate.
• To manage children & technology, set a good example yourself.
• Substitute quality time together for screen time. Plan a special outing, play a board game together or let your child choose the activity and follow his/her lead. School-age kids may act like they are not interested, but what children really want and look for is your attention. It is worth persisting.
• When possible, watch TV with your child or interact with the tablet together. Do jumping jacks during commercials or take a break to see who can jump the longest.
• Keep TVs and computers out of children's bedrooms. When there, research shows there is increased screen time by children.

Digital citizenship in the digital age: Part of our role as parents is also to teach children to be responsible consumers of technology. School-agers can be introduced to the concept of cyber safety and what are appropriate and inappropriate uses of technology. It is also important to explain to children why they have screen time limits.

The rapidly changing technological landscape in the digital age has been compared to the historical shift that occurred after the introduction of the printing press, which greatly expanded access to books and printed materials. The impact of technology on children's lives is constantly changing and as parents and guardians, we are responsible for helping our children maintain healthy technology usage through this important part of their lives.

More about Children & Technology:

• Technology for kids isn't all bad - finds ways you and your kids can be using technology to keep in touch with relatives living far away.
• Wondering if the computer or smartphone games are appropriate for your kids? Find out what other parents think of children's online games & apps through our community.
• Cooperative board games are a good alternative to video games and other screen time activities.
• Read all about children and TV & how too much screen time can affect child development. Learn how to enforce reasonable technology limits on your kids via Mayo Clinic.
• If you’re wondering the safety of cell phone usage for children, then check out this e-family article.

https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/e-family-news/2014-children-and-technology-parenting-tips-in-digital-age

Technology is introducing Pornography to our children.

The average age that young men are being exposed to pornography is between 8-11 years of age. 60% of young women are exposed to pornography by the age of 18 years of age.

(fight the new drug)

https://fightthenewdrug.org/real-average-age-of-first-exposure/

Excerpt from the American College of Pediatricians.
“Grade school children are sometimes exposed to pornography accidentally when they view material on the Internet. They may also come into contact with a parent’s or close adult’s pornographic material.  Sexual predators have purposefully exposed young children to pornography for the purpose of grooming the children for sexual exploitation. Pornography exposure at these young ages often results in anxiety for the child. Children also report feelings of disgust, shock, embarrassment, anger, fear, and sadness after viewing pornography. These children can suffer all of the symptoms of anxiety and depression.  They may become obsessed with acting out adult sexual acts that they have seen, and this can be very disruptive and disturbing to the child’s peers who witness or are victimized by this behavior.  Children under twelve years old who have viewed pornography are statistically more likely to sexually assault their peers. In sum, children exposed to pornographic material are at risk for a broad range of maladaptive behaviors and psychopathology."

 https://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/the-impact-of-pornography-on-children