Child watching television

Most of us are aware that the American Academy of Pediatrics is coming out soon with new guidelines related to children and media.  The actual guidelines aren’t available yet, but the AAP has released a preliminary announcement giving an inkling about some of the main points.  NPR did an interview with David Hill, chair of the AAP Council on Communications and Media to delve into the topic a little more.  Hill suggested it might be good to think about media consumption like we think about diet–it is important to pay attention and consume healthy amounts and content.  But he also points out the need for more research, and points to a recent study that indicates that electronic toys that blink and light up and make noise decrease the quality of the parent-child interaction.  All the more reason for librarians to step into the breach and share information with families about the importance of RELATIONSHIPS and INTERACTION related to all media!  Just a reminder that we have some good resources for helping you start these kinds of conversations.  Please let us know if you use them!