Martin L. Kutscher - Digital Kids: How to Balance Screen Time, and Why it Matters

Eye-opening research that validates parents concerns regarding the relationship their kids have with digital technology can be found in Digital Kids . Dr Kutschers easy-to-understand explanations of many topics such as multi-tasking vs multi-switching, the effects of technology on reading comprehension, and the difficulty of switching from playing video games to starting homework, makes Digital Kids a great resource for parents and educators!

Marcella Moran, MA, LMHC, The Kid Organizer, thekidorganizer.com

A comprehensive, scientifically backed, yet down-to-earth guide for parents trying to understand this confusing digital world and how it impacts their children, especially the more vulnerable. The honest, straightforward talk on parents responsibilities for their childs internet use and how to meet them is invaluable.

Heidi Bernhardt, President and Executive Director, Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada

Todays children quickly gravitate toand masterelectronic devices. This leaves their parents both proud and fearful. What is the impact on social skills and brain development? The antidote to fear is knowledge, explains veteran pediatric neurologist Martin Kutscher. In this engagingly written book, he gently walks you through the issues and the ways you can create healthy balance in your childs life.

Gina Pera, Adult ADHD Expert, author of Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?

By emphasizing social transactions and the social rules of digital society, as well as the safe use of digital media, this book will help to create boundaries and strengthen understanding of the digital world, without frightening the reader about the use and culture of social media and the internet in general. I strongly recommend this book for parents to encourage them to get involved with what their digital kids are doing online.

Ioannis Voskopoulos, Psychologist

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ISBN 978 1 84905 967 1

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DIGITAL

KIDS

How to
Balance Screen Time,
and Why it Matters

Martin L. Kutscher, MD

Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia

First published in 2017

by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

73 Collier Street

London N1 9BE, UK

and

400 Market Street, Suite 400

Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

www.jkp.com

Copyright Martin L. Kutscher 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owners written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.

Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Names: Kutscher, Martin L., author.

Title: Digital kids : how to balance screen time, and why it matters / Martin

L. Kutscher.

Description: London ; Philadelphia : Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017. |

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016017094 | ISBN 9781785927126 (alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Internet addiction--Popular works. | Internet

addiction--Prevention. | Internet users--Mental health.

Classification: LCC RC569.5.I54 K88 2017 | DDC 616.85/84--dc23 LC record available at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lccn.loc.gov_2016017094&d=BQIFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=4EemtO9R1x-uacXap7EaQ1RHPq9-MnYBwnfuC-ulpHU&m=c-2-bJeF25LtzYwasGj-HB6WlVx9wYcS4Tx9kxMpBzY&s=5_9dOnVZ1CejgaKdbihwCQuWw9DJznP5eHrwuN8WVKI&e=

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 78592 712 6

eISBN 978 1 78450 296 6

To our wonderful children and their loving parents, who are learning together how to balance the digital world

DISCLAIMER

This information is for educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Information and recommendations on this topic are subject to change. Cited references do not necessarily represent the views or the endorsement of the author.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Everyone is in their own corner, glued to their screen! I feel like Im herding cats! I just want everyone to put down their devices and talk to each other over dinner.

My five-year-old is constantly begging to use my smartphone. My teenage daughter never puts her cell away. It is always in her hand or a few inches away on the table. At work, the hallways and elevators are filled with people checking their email or texts.

Im worried about my childrens technology use. Why does my son scream when I try to get him off the computer? Is my daughter honest about her Internet activities? Just how much screen time is too much? Just how do I set limits without starting World War III? What effect is all of this media and technology having on my childrens brains, learning and behavior?

As a pediatric behavioral neurologist, I hear a constant litany of concerns from parents about their childrensand their ownoften unending attraction to digital technology. As we shall see, these concerns are not unfounded, nor are they insurmountable. The antidote to fear is knowledge, and this book will provide you with the knowledge you need to successfully confront the issues. We need facts in order to motivate ourselves and our children to balance our behavior. Ill explain why this balance matters, by exploring the effects of extensive screen use on our brains and our lives. Ill also discuss how to balance screen time in order to successfully co-exist with the plethora of benefits and threats coming to our digital kids.

The recent explosion of digital technology and services

The rapid explosion of technology in the past 15 years has led to unprecedented opportunities and challenges for us all. Just consider the new technological devices since 2000: iPods, iPhones, iPads, Android, camera phones, broadband Internet modems, Wi-Fi, HD TVs, and Roku. New technology services since 2000 include Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Instagram, MySpace, LinkedIn, iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, hi-tech online games, Apps, and Firefox (Rosen 2012). Thats all on top of our old technology, such as video games, texting, email, and television. Collectively referred to as screen time, these activities have been quite a lot to adjust to in just a few decades, especially for our human brains, which evolved on the savannah over the millennia to handle a quite different and slower-paced set of stimuli.