Please join us to explore this important topic with Dr. Jenny Radesky from the Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.

Family life has changed remarkably since the introduction of mobile devices and large billion-dollar technology platforms over the past 2 decades. Smartphones, tablets, social media, video platforms, and artificial intelligence pose new challenges to parent around, particularly when they are not designed with children and families' needs in mind. This webinar discussed how the design features of media used by children and parents can often distract from learning or caregiver-child interaction, yet drive much of the profit of technology companies.

Understanding that caregivers often feel overwhelmed and guilty about this topic, the Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health - which Dr. Radesky helps lead as a medical director - has taken a strengths-based approach that recognizes the role of family stress, context, and relational health in child media use. Dr. Radesky used this approach to discuss the research evidence and clinical guidance regarding topics including:

• Screen use and early childhood development/learning;
• Popular platforms like YouTube and mobile games;
• Use of media for calming and social-emotional development;
• Caregiver media use and its links with caregiver-child interactions and child behavior.  

Participants of this webinar were able to:

1. Recognize and understand how media use in early childhood influences different aspects of child development in positive and negative ways 
2. Identify and describe two different design features that keep children and parents using media longer or more frequently
3. Formulate strategies to engage with families about health screen media use