Writing a Media Strategy We tend t think mre abut maintaining ur cars, huses and pets than we d the media that enters ur hme. Are we really mre wrried abut straightening ur children s teeth than we are abut their media cnsumptin? Technlgy is rapidly changing and gne are the days f everything being generally safe and harmless. I am reminded f the Spiderman qute: With great pwer cmes great respnsibility. With all the wnderful advances and great digital pwer cmes great parental respnsibility t manage it well in ur hmes. Parenting has changed and a digital game plan will help guide yur child thrugh the tech wrld with success. Our pririty fr ur children is t keep it all balanced by prtecting their childhd, guiding them in middle schl, and equipping them befre cllege. It s time t mdel gd media habits nw while they are at hme s they can balance technlgy later in life. Here is a brief utline t get yu thinking abut ways t manage screen time in yur hme. It is best t answer and discuss the fllwing questins with yur spuse and then cme up with a custmized Media Strategy fr yur family that yu can actually live with. The key is t make it dable and t revisit it every 6 mnths and make changes as yur children grw and becme mre respnsible. One day they will be n their wn and will need t manage their wn digital diet s include them in the prcess as much as yu can nw. Feel free t add mre and skip sme; use this as a guide t help get yu started. Remember that there is pwer in talking it thrugh ut lud tgether and then writing it dwn. I am always amazed at hw many things get dne when we write them dwn! Why d yu allw media (TV and cmputers)? Check all that apply: Fr wrk. Fr educatin. Fr entertainment. T kill time, bredm. Fr relaxing (remember that media/gaming is nt relaxing fr kids; ver a certain time limit, it can be very stressful.) Fr kids: T fit in scially with schl friends, cultural pressure. Fr Parents: T fit in scially with friends at wrk. (Watching certain shws, etc.) T build esteem. T escape a family cnflict, pain, depressin r relatinship. T prcrastinate r avid ther duties r chres. Babysitter fr kids. Unwind time fr adults. Other.
What percentage f yur child s day shuld be spent with a screen? The big picture: In rder t stay balanced yu must define yur big gals. One gd way t decide hw t manage screen time is t first decide what percentage f the day shuld be allwed in frnt f a screen. If yu dn't d this, chances are that media will stay n all day in yur huse. Once yu lk at it n paper, ther media decisins becme mre clear. Create a Media Pie Chart (draw a circle and fill in amunt fr screen time): 50%, 25%, 10%, 5% Then yu may want t specify which screens: if yu decide t allw screen time 30% f the day then decide what part f that is TV, cmputer r handheld etc. If yu decide 10% f the day then yu have t get mre purpseful abut what yu use when. Parents: What abut yur Media Pie? Questins t discuss: 1. Wh gets t view media in yur hme? All family members? Infants under 2 years ld? Sme families have large age spans between siblings. Think abut wh is t yung fr any viewing. The AAP recmmends n screen time fr 2 and under. Make a list. Wh is allwed t turn n TV withut permissin? Wh is allwed t use the remte? 2. Which screens are yu managing?
Make a list f all the screens and vide cnsles in yur hme: TV, cmputers (list each laptp and dn t frget that ld desktp in the basement r upstairs in the play rm). List all nn-phne handhelds: ipads, ipds, Kindles, Nks. List all cell phnes. (Use the Cell Phne Strategy fr phnes.) List f screens: 3. What cntent is allwed? Make a general list f the type f cntent that yu want t allw in yur hme. List and discuss cntent yu want fr each age grup. D yu want yur first grader seeing the same shws as yur high schler? Yu may agree that watching sprts n TV is a fun family event but maybe the cmmercials need t be muted r yu need a DVR t fast frward thrugh them. Spend a few minutes thinking this thrugh; dn't rush. 4. List each persn and the screens they have access t. Check that each device has the apprpriate parental cntrls and accuntability sftware in place. If yu dn't have time t d that right nw enter a day n yur calendar t d this. Name Screen/handheld/phne Parental Cntrls in place? Research management and accuntability sftware if yu have nt dne s yet. Cvenant Eyes is a gd prgram. Get in the habit f checking parental cntrls the same time yu check the il in yur car; they have a way f getting tuned ff smetimes.
5. When and fr hw lng is media allwed? Are all devices allwed all day? What time f day and night? TV: Is TV n fr backgrund nise all day? Just after dinner? During dinner? Only n weekends? After kids are in bed? D yu have certain family shws yu enjy tgether? List them. Family mvie night? What night? DVR? Ttal TV Time allwed every weekday and weekend day: Laptps: are laptps left pen all day? D they get shut dwn at night? When? Are they accessed all thrugh the day by any child regardless f age? What bundaries are in place fr yunger kids viewing mature cntent? Handhelds, IPads etc: D kids have access 24/7? What are yur time limit rules fr weekdays and weekends? Ttal time every day: Phnes: (See Cell Phne Strategy fr detailed utline.) Are cell phnes allwed all day? During schl? Nt during schl? After hmewrk? Are yu children allwed n yur phne? Are they allwed t sneak it? Decide what apps are allwed n all phnes and which nes yu need t remve. Keep in mind that if yur children have access t yur phne yu need t make sure yu dn't have apps that yu dn't want them t play with. 6. List all the times when screens are nt allwed. When friends are ver? Early in the mrning? Befre schl? During dinner? Church? Family events? While "sleeping"? Set a Digital Curfew.. What time shuld all media be turned ff in yur hme including cell phnes and internet screens fr parents t? Mst families find it necessary and helpful t set a time each night when screens are turned ff. This is very helpful if yu have teens in yur hme but it is als help fr mm and dad. Identify a curfew basket in the kitchen where everyne can depsit their device each evening and during designated nn-tech time. It is never a gd idea t let teens take their phnes t bed and be bthered by the beeps and dings f tweets, texts, and mail. Everyne will sleep better when the devices are dwnstairs in the kitchen.
Media fast r break: D yu have ne media free day each week when all media is turned ff and the family cnnects? A half f a day each week? One hur each week? What is reasnable fr yur family? 7. Where des media live in yur huse. Decide where yu want t allw yur kids t have access. Only in cmmn areas? Den? Kitchen? Car? 8. Where d yu nt allw screens? N screens in bedrms? Bathrms? In the car during errands r lng trips? D yu allw screens and cell phnes at the dinner table and family dinners ut at restaurants? Parents, discuss media in yur wn bedrm. D yu agree that a TV is gd t have in yur bedrm? Fr watching mvies nly? Only n during weekends? D yu want laptps in yur bed? If yur are already bringing yur laptp t bed think abut making sme changes r cutting back. Can yu live with a few nights a week that are laptp free nights? Might nt be a bad idea! Once yu get used t a whle huse tech curfew, if yu decide t d that, yu will be surprised hw much better yur relatinship will be. Digital Missin Statement. Write a digital missin statement fr yur family. Include things like: We will watch nly media the whle family can enjy, n prn, n vulgar ff clr TV shws, language (list ff-limit shws and teach yur children the difference). We will have ne family mvie night a week n night. We will have a family bard game night n. We will never chse media ver a family member when a family member is in need. We will never make a yunger family member leave the rm s lder family members can watch shws with adult r questinable cntent; rather we will turn ff TV. Our relatinships are mre imprtant than ur media. We will turn ff media when friends cme ver including putting handhelds and phnes away. We will agree n a time t turn all media ff at night.
We will always cnfess questinable cntent t parents parents will have an pen dr plicy n this and will nt get angry r punish early ffenses fr accidental first time prn viewing, etc. Schedule a time n calendar fr 6 mnths t recheck parental cntrls n devices. Other. Keep it handy and add t it as yu need t. Ask kids fr input and agree n terms as a family. Revisit it every 6 mnths r when yu get new devices. Melanie Hempe, 2014, Mms Managing Media. All Rights Reserved. www.mmsmanagingmedia.cm