Computers in children's bedrooms

Watch Video: Computers in children's bedrooms by Cara Natterson, MD, ...
Computers in children's bedrooms | Kids in the House
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Computers in children's bedrooms

Comment
100
Like
100
Transcription: 
You don’t want to have a computer in your kids’ bedroom behind a closed door, because you want to be able to help your child learn computer safety. So if you have the computer in the kitchen or the den, or any public space where people are walking in and out, a number of things happen: someone’s always glancing at the screen, someone’s keeping an eye on where your child is or what they’re doing, and your child is actually less tempted to kind of check out spaces online that they know they shouldn’t be checking out but they’re right there available to them. I think it’s asking a lot of a child to take the responsibility for going online alone in their room, whether they’re emailing, on the Internet, in a chat room. When they’re doing it behind closed doors unsupervised, it’s a burden to them. They need the parental supervision. So in my house the rule is not just that they computer is in a public place, but for my six and eight-year-old a parent must be in the room when my kids are on the computer. It’s not any old adult – I want to make sure that someone who is looking out for their health and safety is in the room when they’re online.

Watch Video: Computers in children's bedrooms by Cara Natterson, MD, ...

Related Videos

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Meet Cara Natterson, MD
Are antibiotics bad?
Are girls entering puberty and starting periods earlier?
Can exercise stunt a child's growth?
Catch-up sleep and why your tween needs it
Causes and prevention of bad breath in kids
Computers in children's bedrooms
Conquering the mean-girl phenomenon
Creating a healthy relationship with food
Dealing with acne emotionally and physically
Different stages of puberty
Digestive issues vs. stress and worry in the belly
Do children really need milk?
Do girls stop growing when they get their period?
Emotional process a child experiences during puberty
Family time and other tips for weathering the teens
Getting tweens to listen to you instead of their peers
Golden Nugget
Helping tweens self-regulate when they feel moody
Hormones and your moody tween
How much screen time is OK for my child?
How much water should a child drink every day?
How parents can best influence their teens
How to avoid over eating
How to build a solid relationship with your child
Introducing deodorant to your child
Is tuna fish safe for my children?
Keeping a parent in the room when a child is online
Magazine images and teens
Normal sadness vs. depression
One sport vs. many sports
Physical process a child experiences during puberty
Preventative measures for tween mood swings
Promoting healthy eating while still allowing some treats
Safer sunscreens and when to start using them
Scale at home vs. scale at doctor's office
Should my family stop eating fish to avoid mercury?
Teaching good health vs. good looks
Teaching our girls to have each others backs
Teaching your child health and well-being
Teen decision making vs. adult decision making
The importance of sleep, food and exercise
The necessity of the annual doctor visits
The social and physical video game experience
The three purposes of sleep
Tips for dealing with anxiety
Tips for dealing with your daughter's moodiness
Trusting your tween to make the right decisions
What every parent and child should know about concussions
When girls can start using tampons
When your child asks if they are overweight
When your child wants to quit a sport
When your daughter is the first to hit puberty.
Where and how to have sensitive talks with your child
Which is safer for drinking: tap water or bottled water?
Why low-calorie and sugar-free foods are bad for kids
Why processed foods are less nutritious
Will asking for a second opinion offend my doctor?

Cara Natterson, MD

Pediatrician & Author

Cara Natterson, MD has treated thousands of children and guided their parents as well. She was a partner at Tenth Street Pediatrics in Santa Monica, California, a large group practice serving infants, children and teenagers. She now runs Worry Proof Consulting, the first of its kind pediatric practice that offers parents open-ended time to review everything from medical questions and biology basics to child development and parenting issues. Cara is also the author of several books on parenting and child health. She has a unique ability to translate cutting edge research into understandable terms for parents and their kids. More recently, Cara’s consulting has extended beyond individual families to include fortune 500 companies seeking expert advice on safety issues, child health, and crisis management.

Cara has appeared on television, in print, and on the web. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and she trained in pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco. Cara is a Board certified pediatrician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. And anyone who knows her knows that Cara is, by nature, one of the most risk-averse people on earth. She lives in California with her husband and two children.

More Parenting Videos from Cara Natterson, MD >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter
  Listen or Watch
Must See First Year Videos
Three important rules about your baby's first foods
First year milestones
Postnatal depression and loneliness advice
Baby losing interest in nursing
The importance of spending quality time during early childhood
Narrating an infant's environment
Research based benefits of co-sleeping
Bonding versus attachment
Bonding with your baby after a less-than-perfect birth
Preventing postpartum depression
Play All 34 Videos
Featured Experts: Alan Greene, MD, Lawrence Kagan, MD, Barbara Olinger, MSW
More Playlists >
Transcription: 
You don’t want to have a computer in your kids’ bedroom behind a closed door, because you want to be able to help your child learn computer safety. So if you have the computer in the kitchen or the den, or any public space where people are walking in and out, a number of things happen: someone’s always glancing at the screen, someone’s keeping an eye on where your child is or what they’re doing, and your child is actually less tempted to kind of check out spaces online that they know they shouldn’t be checking out but they’re right there available to them. I think it’s asking a lot of a child to take the responsibility for going online alone in their room, whether they’re emailing, on the Internet, in a chat room. When they’re doing it behind closed doors unsupervised, it’s a burden to them. They need the parental supervision. So in my house the rule is not just that they computer is in a public place, but for my six and eight-year-old a parent must be in the room when my kids are on the computer. It’s not any old adult – I want to make sure that someone who is looking out for their health and safety is in the room when they’re online.