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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1234839
simply using the device as a babysitter or vowing to avoid screen time entirely. Research firm CommonSense Media found that 42 percent of children ages 0 to 8 have their own tablet, up from seven percent in 2014, while about 12 percent use a smartphone. They spend an average of more than two hours a day using screen media. While parents establish usage guidelines, use software to monitor their online activity, block selected sites, monitor incoming texts/calls and limit time spent on certain online activities/media; they are still concerned about their online media activity. In addition to active monitoring/ controls, parents also discuss acceptable and unacceptable online activities: • 94 percent talk to their children about what is appropriate to share online, 40 percent frequently • 95 percent discuss appropriate online content to view, 39 percent frequently • 95 percent have talked about appropriate content – TV, music, books, magazines, social media – to consume; 36 percent frequently • 92 percent have spoken about appropriate online behavior, 36 percent frequently Despite promises to police inappropriate media, parents would be surprised (probably appalled) at the content that reaches their children. Kids are learning to swipe and scroll their devices earlier. A lady friend told us that her three-year-old picked up her iPhone and called his grandfather in Minnesota. "It was almost instinctive, second nature for him," she recalled. Mobile is becoming a bigger part of young people's life; so even if they don't have a TV in their room, the smaller devices make it possible for them to consume their media where parents are less able to monitor or manage what they consume and how long they are on instead of being asleep. The solution? Have firm, realistic rules as to when they can use their devices; actively monitor the