Kids' summer screentime & media use

Because of all that free time summer gives kids, the season calls for a little extra thought and family communication about the mental and physical health effects of more screentime. In fact, Common Sense Media CEO Jim Steyer recommends a “media diet” for summer vacationers, reports SafeKids.com’s Larry Magid in CBSNEWS.com - because kids in general spend 45-50 hours a week consuming media, let alone when school’s out. When screentime starts eclipsing physical activity, of course, obesity becomes an issue. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that that since 1980 the proportion of overweight children ages 6 to 11 has more than doubled, and the rate for adolescents has tripled,” Larry reports. Steyer’s “diet” includes setting screentime and technology limits and sticking to them, whether young people’s favorite pastimes involve social networking, blogging, IMing, or videogames. Larry offers tips for constructive use of both the Internet and videogames. Here are Common Sense Media’s “Tips for a Healthy Media Diet."