Screen-Smart Parenting

November 15, 2014

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Gold (Weil Cornell Medical Coll.) seeks to place technology use into developmentally appropriate stages and into the context of a family's "digital habitat." The author recognizes that the "digital divide" is no longer the hot conversation, with usage trumping access concerns, and encourages parents to take a long, hard look at their parenting style, family culture, and own use of technology. Are you the one checking your phone at dinner? Do your kids have TVs in their rooms? While the adage "children live what they learn" is a large part of Gold's proposed self-examination, she recognizes that technology has many rich benefits and is not, in fact, the sole catalyst for poor school performance or decreased social skills. Indeed, she notes, "overly restrictive parents are less likely to allow for the online mistakes and missteps that are critical to the development of resilience." Moving into technology use by age groups, Gold presents recommendations and discusses pitfalls for kids as young as two up to young adulthood. VERDICT While Gold sometimes loses track of her audience with scientific reports ("When children are exposed to multiple and frequent video game stimuli, their neuronal pathways will adapt..."), she has a proactive approach to the topic and helps parents contextualize technology as both an appropriate and positive part of growing up. Recommended.

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