Keeping track of a number of stories relating to ‘Raising Children in a Digital Age‘ in the news… and always keen to see stories that promote the opportunities:
Computer Coding Skills For Children ‘Crucial’
A generation of British schoolchildren risks being left behind in an analogue world unless they learn computer programming skills, a group of some of the UK’s leading digital entrepreneurs warn today.
Your Child and Screens: Moderation is Key
The explosion in tablets and smartphones has led to a massive surge in the number of children who use technology. Nearlysix out of 10 kids watch TV daily. Almost four in ten children under age two have used mobile devices. And the average eight- to 10-year-old is connected about eight hours a day through devices like computers, phones or TVs.
Kids Need More Sleep, Survey Says
So how much sleep do our children need? According to the sleep scientists, 6-to 10-year-olds should get 10 to 11 hours. After age 10, nine hours are best.
TVs in Kids’ Bedroom May Be Making Them Fat
More than a third of children and adolescents in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and if your child has a television in their bedroom, they may be at an increased risk of becoming a part of that group. A new study appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics finds a link between TVs in the bedroom and a higher body mass index in kids.
Parents, kids need to talk about dangers of digital media
Today, children have access to smartphones and computers at an early age.
With few exceptions, the devices provide access to social-media sites and chat rooms — where taunts and insults can multiply and, in the digital age, be preserved forever.
With young people’s mental health, and even lives at stake, parents must know what sites their children visit and how they interact with others on social media, said Dr. Eugene Beresin, director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also interesting to see that the NSPCC is seeking to build its digital portfolio, and apps to help give children tools to deal with stress, to aid ADHD, and courses to help children with autism; whilst tablets on loan help bridge the digital divide.
