[RFHF] New media guidelines and principles for kids 0-5 yrs from pediatricians and educators

[Katie Anderson]

Last month the American Academy of Pediatrics updated their digital media guidelines for young children (AAP Media and Young Minds<http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2016/10/19/peds.2016-2591.full.pdf>) and in October the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services issued a joint policy brief on technology in early learning (U.S. Early Learning and Educational Technology Brief<https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/policy_brief_final3.pdf>).

Below are the most important pieces of information from these documents that may be helpful to you in your work with families. However, I highly recommend you take 10-15 minutes to read AAP Media and Young Minds<http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2016/10/19/peds.2016-2591.full.pdf> carefully (only 3.5 of the 8 pages cover the recommendation, the rest are citations etc.). I also recommend that you take another 10-15 minutes to at least skim the U.S. Early Learning and Educational Technology Brief<https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/policy_brief_final3.pdf> because it provides useful tips on what to do about this information and answers some good questions (it's 25 pages with 3 pages of citations etc.).


  *   Research about the impact of interactive, digital media on young children 0-5 years old still remains limited.

  *   Babies and toddlers 0-24 months old: Evidence for benefits of media is still limited, adult interaction with children during media use is crucial, and there continues to be evidence of harm from excessive media use.
     *   They need hands-on exploration and social interaction with trusted caregivers to learn and develop.
     *   They do not learn from media as they do from human interaction because of their immature symbolic, memory, and attention skills.
     *   If caregivers are using media with them and reteaching the content, then toddlers (15 months old) may be able to start learning new words from media but have trouble applying them to the real world.
     *   At about 24 months old, toddlers can learn new words from media used with a responsive adult or from an interactive touchscreen that helps the child choose the relevant answer.

  *   Preschoolers 3-5 years old: Well-designed media can improve cognitive, literacy, and social outcomes, but it's important to emphasize to caregivers that the higher-order thinking skills and executive functions essential for school success are best taught through unstructured and social (not digital) play and responsive adult-child interactions. There also continues to be evidence of harm from excessive media use.
     *   Most apps under the "educational" category have no evidence of effectiveness, target only rote skills, are not based on established curricula, and are developed with little to no input from educators.
     *   Most apps are not designed for a dual (adult and child) audience.
     *   Digital books that come with interactive enhancements may decrease adult dialogic reading interactions with the child and decrease the child's comprehension of the content.
     *   Parents should be instructed to interact with preschoolers using media.

  *   Primary caregiver media use: Primary caregivers who leave the TV on in the background and/or use mobile devices heavily may have fewer interactions with their children and more parent-child conflicts.
     *   Reducing primary caregiver media use and increasing caregiver-child interactions may be an important behavioral change.

  *   Guiding principles for use of technology with early learners:
     *   Technology--when used appropriately--can be a tool for learning.
     *   Technology should be used to increase access to learning opportunities for all children.
     *   Technology may be used to strengthen relationships among parents, families, early educators, and young children.
     *   Technology is more effective for learning when adults and peers interact or co-view with young children.

Read and think about these things for a little while. In a week or two, I'll follow-up with an email about some resources that may help you plan how to utilize this information in practical ways in your library.

Thanks,
Katie

Katie Anderson
Oregon State Library
katie.anderson at state.or.us
503-803-3940
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