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Media and Children Communication Toolkit

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides policies, information, advice and resources about families’ and children’s interactions with various forms of media.

 

​Media is everywhere. TV, Internet, computer and video games all vie for our children's attention. Information on this page can help parents and pediatrician understand and communicate about the impact media has in our children's lives, while offering tips on managing time spent with various media. Today's children are spending an average of seven hours a day on entertainment media, including televisions, computers, phones and other electronic devices. To help kids make wise media choices, parents should develop a Family Media Use Plan for everyone in their family.

Collected here are tools to help pediatricians and health professionals understand and implement the AAP recommendations on children and media, and to discuss the topic with parents and families.

Please feel free to share these resources in your social media networks, websites and other platforms.

AAP Recommendations

​Resources for Parents

The AAP recommends that parents and caregivers develop a family media plan that takes into account the health, education and entertainment needs of each individual child as well as the whole family; and then follow the family media plan together, revising it when necessary.  

Create your personalized family media use plan here: www.HealthyChildren.org/MediaUsePlan

Share our Family Media Use Plan tool by linking to it on your own website or on social media. Use the images below to create great looking links and posts. Simply embed the following URLs in the image of your choice:

Family Media Use Plan in English
Family Media Use Plan in English​ (poster)

Family Media Use Plan in Spanis​h
Family Media Use Plan in Spanish​ (poster)​

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Children and Media - Tips for Parents​

Dr. Ari Brown video tips for parents:  http://ow.ly/CN5U3055gDk​
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Embed Code:<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NJYUVyYMeEM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>​

 

​​Resources for Health Care Providers

 

  • Media and Children Talking Points (AAP member login required) 

  • ​Webinar on Children and Media: “Digital Technology and the Word Gap: Barrier or Opportunity?” Jenny Radesky, MD, FAAP, Assistant Professor of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School, offers an informative and entertaining discussion on the impact that media has on the developing minds of children, speaking here to an auditorium of medical students at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System in Chicago as the Council on Communications and Media Visiting Media Professor in  2016.

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​​Sample Social Media Messages

Twitter

Follow @AmerAcadPeds and @HealthyChildren for messages to share. 



New tool from @AmerAcadPeds helps parents create a personalized Family Media Use Plan http://ow.ly/LznM3055hOb #DoGoodDigital

Design a Family Media Use Plan based on your child's age, health & activities http://ow.ly/LznM3055hOb #DoGoodDigital 

Designate media-free times & locations for your family. More recommendations from @AmerAcadPeds http://ow.ly/CN5U3055gDk #DoGoodDigital

Need help managing your kids' media time? Helpful tips from @Baby411 https://youtu.be/NJYUVyYMeEM  #DoGoodDigital


In new recommendations, AAP offers tips to help parents manage their child's digital landscape http://ow.ly/CN5U3055gDk #DoGoodDigital

Facebook

Worried about screen time? Customize a plan for your child's media use with a new tool Find out by creating a personalized Family Media Use Plan for your family with this new tool from the American Academy of Pediatrics.



Questions about screen time? New AAP policy statements outline recommendations for parents and pediatricians http://ow.ly/CN5U3055gDk​


Digital media offers opportunities and challenges for children. Dr. Ari Brown offers tips to parents on how to guide their children in the digital world. #DoGoodDigital.https://youtu.be/NJYUVyYMeEM ​

 Pinterest


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