Parents Need to Get Tougher on Children's Digital Media Use: AAP

Doctors are urging parents to implement a "media use plan" in which clear boundaries can be set when children can use their cellphones, laptops, when they can watch TV and for how long they are able to use any electronic device.

The new policy statement was released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) today (Oct. 28) in the journal Pediatrics.

"We're not media-bashers," Dr. Marjorie Hogan, one of the statement's lead authors, said. "We love media." The question, she said, is how to use it for good.

Hogan, from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, said media can influence kids' lives in many positive ways. Sesame Street has proven to improve empathy among preschoolers.

"For teens, connectivity, being connected to your peers, having a chance to create your persona, can be a really positive thing," she told Reuters Health.

The report noted that children between the ages of 8 and 10 spend nearly 8 hours a day with different media, while older children and teens spend more than 11 hours per day. Meanwhile, 75 percent of 12 to 17 year old have their own cell phones and they use text messaging. But this activity can contribute to numerous risks like violence, cyberbullying, pornography and also physical disorders.

Citing these reasons, the APP urges parents to make a media use plan, which include meal time and bedtime curfews for media devices and recommend parents to not allow children to keep their cellphone or other electronic device in their bedroom.

The AAP also recommends parents to limit the screen media exposure in children under 2 years and to work with schools to encourage media education and the innovative use of technology.