>>>
for your family.
>>>
back at 7:42 with an eye-opening, new survey that highlights just how much technology has changed the lives of our children. according to the
kaiser family foundation
, 8 to 18-year-olds spend an average of 7 hours and
30 minutes
each day either online,
watching tv
, playing
video games
or texting. that's more time than most adults spend at work. so, what is a parent to do with that information?
parry aftab
is the executive director of "wired safety" and
michelle
bosher vosher is a parenting expert.
michelle
, i want to start with you, because the numbers are staggering. the
average american
kid spends every waking moment outside of school on an ipod,
watching tv
, playing
video games
. my gut reaction is it has to be bad, but what does it say to you?
>>
the
bottom line
is we really don't know because it's redefining a sense of childhood. we don't know neurological implicatio implications or how this will affect them socially. let's just,
bottom line
, start getting more commonsensical about it. the key thing is, what is your kid tuning out of? and my key point is you. if he's watching 7 1/2 hours of all of this other media, it means that face-to-face relationship of just being with you and connecting with you is gone. your influence goes down.
>>
but is part of the adjustment that parents have to make sort of accepting that this is reality for kids now?
>>
yes.
>>
this is the way they live their lives.
>>
yes. it is clearly the way they live their lives, so we've got to step up to that plate, get a little more crafty and figure it out. the other thing is figure out how we're going to make that lost thing called face-to-face interaction that our kids may be losing, build that back into their lives.
>>
you know, parry, you say when it comes to monitoring and protecting our children, we have to pay more attention to the three cs. what are the three cs?
>>
the three cs are contact, content and cost. so, every time we put technology into the hands of our kids, we need to look at it and say can our kids talk to others, can others talk to our kids? can they share or view information or content? and what can they do that's going to cost them in values, time and money?
>>
so, parry, how do you know when it's too much?
>>
well, we always know when it's too much. our kids' grades are going down, they're not talking to us, we're uncomfortable. what we need to do is be brave enough to say i'm the parent. take the cell phone, put it into your nightstand drawer when your kids are supposed to be having dinner with you. know the right technologies and find that balance. they have to do well in school and social lives and in the family.
>>
michelle
, glass half full for a second here. is this possibly an opportunity for parents to connect to their kids --
>>
yes.
>>
-- if they get to know this technology a little better?
>>
yes. and number one is, if they're watching the majority of the thing we know they're doing in media and plugged in is tv, sit down with your child and start talking about what they're watching. learn how to text so that you can connect with your child. it's getting more into their lives when they are on doing something called the family meal, that would be your time to turn off so that you're still engaged. find those times when you can connect with your child and get back, and use their world, because this is part of their world.
>>
and as parry pointed out, for all the newfangled technology, it really comes down to old-fashioned parenting in the end.
>>
exactly, 101.
>>
michelle
, thank you so much, and
parry aftab
, as always, thank you.
>>
thanks a lot.
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