Return to Archive
Browse By Month
Like This?
Subscribe by email:
Parent News, May
Sent Monday, May 9, 2011
View as plaintext
Amplify's Parent Network |
May Newsletter 2011 | |||||||||||||||
| When Media Squeezes out Family, Teens Suffer
It seems I hardly go a day without hearing about some kind of detrimental effect of media on kids. The latest is pretty serious. A study reported on in the Journal of Preventative Medicine showed that "high computer use was associated with app
 roximately 50 percent increased engagement with a cluster of six MRBs [multiple risk behaviors], including smoking, drunkenness, non-use of seat-belts, cannabis and illicit drug use, and unprotected sex."The above-linked article proposes several reasons for this: A relative lack of censorship (compared to other types of media) and consequent exposure to more things, and heavier advertising content. When I pair this information with what we know about the importance of family time, I see that a negative influence (too much media), is stealing time from a positive influence (family).
It's tempting to charge in and make all sorts of rules...and some rules are not a bad thing, to be sure! But all our son or daughter may perceive is deprivation and restriction. So how can we take back some of the time that has been stolen by media without starting World War III in our homes?
In our house, my husband used to call a "family meeting" when we had issues we had to resolve. If you, the parent, start out by expressing a desire for more family time (a positive approach), and ask for ideas on how to carve out some special time in your week where family can connect around conversation or fun activities, you are more likely to have success. Teens love to be included and consulted as respected members of the family. You could even turn media to good use, pop open your laptops together, and google "ideas for family night." I found a lot of great articles, including this one with 4 ideas, starting with a creative, fun meal.
Happy Parenting,
Tori Libby
|
| |||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||