The Impulsive "Teen Brain" Isn't Based in Science | Science. A deficit in the development of the teenage brain has been blamed for teens’ behavior in recent years, but it may be time to lay the stereotype of the wild teenage brain to rest. Brain deficits don’t make teens do risky things; lack of experience and a drive to explore the world are the real factors. As director of research at a public policy center that studies adolescent risk-taking, I study teenage brains and teenage behavior. Recently, my colleagues and I reviewed years of scientific literature about adolescent brain development and risky behavior. We found that much of the risk behavior attributed to adolescents is not the result of an out-of-control brain. As it turns out, the evidence supports an alternative interpretation: Risky behavior is a normal part of development and reflects a biologically driven need for exploration – a process aimed at acquiring experience and preparing teens for the complex decisions they will need to make as adults.
Common Sense Media - Best Movies, Books, Apps, Games for Kids. Screenagers Movie | Growing up in the digital age. 20 Podcasts for Kids. 7 Media Resolutions Every Family Should Make in 2017. Stop Worrying About Screen Time - (2016) Stop Worrying About Screen Time by Terry Heick Ed note: This post was written by Terry for alternet, and is being republished here. Screen time. Just the phrase tightens the chests of well-intentioned (and helicoptering) parents everywhere. Concerns range from our children becoming anti-social to developing addictions to certain games (I’m looking at you Minecraft, and you too, Argio), to screens preventing them from connecting with the physical spaces and people and opportunities around them.
As parents, we want balance, not necessarily because we know balance is best, but because we know that even if something is ultimately discovered to be terrible for the kids, we’ll be able to rest easy knowing they only had so much exposure. Balance is a kind of crude form of future-proofing –– we aren’t required to intricately understand the cause and effect of every factor; we can just recommend “balance,” and hope the factors we balance produce a healthy ecology. Televisions were never this cool. Daily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset | Scientific Reports.