PC Mike Podcast Ep. 26: Kids Using Tech…How Much is Too Much?
The effects of too much screen time on kids can be serious: lost sleep, poor grades, social maladjustment, behavior problems, obesity. This list goes on and on.
Then again, what are we supposed to do? Cut kids off completely?
The answer, of course, is no. Rather, finding a healthy balance is more appropriate says Dr.Dimitri A. Christakis of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute, a leading expert on the effects of screen time and media on young people.
Instead of cutting kids off, he says, parents and grandparents need to be smart about how they allow youngsters to use tech. And you can hear on this show just how important kids consider tech when PC Mike Producer Andrew Dietderich talks to his two daughters about how they use it.
Christakis then joins PC Mike to discuss when and how to make sure kids use tech in a healthy manner. Among other things, they discuss:
- How tech use can be tremendously beneficial for children
- Three key things to look for that can help identify screen addiction in children
- How screen addiction compares with other addictions
- Why you should consider putting kids on a “media diet”
- How much recreational time is appropriate for daily use
- The impact of certain types of content on kids
- What time of day should kids not use tech
- How software developers work to try and get kids addicted to certain kinds of tech
- The importance of parents’ involvement in tech use
- Use a website like commonsensemedia.org to see ratings for content
Also in this episode, we answer a listener’s question about Internet access in rural areas where cable and cellular high speed access is not available or affordable, give you our app of the week and talk the week’s big tech news – the release of Windows 10.
