Unplug Your Kids

Book excerpt: TV. Web Surfing. IMing. Text Messaging. Video Games. iPods. Kids today are plugged into so much, so much of the time, it’s hard to keep track. But parents do know this much: It’s too much, already! In this book, parent and scholar David Dutwin, Ph.D., shows parents everywhere how to cut the digital cord and free their children to play and learn the old-fashioned way - actively! Organized in three sections, this practical, prescriptive book offers a balanced - and realistic - approach for every age, including how to: introduce toddlers to TV - or not; let little kids use computers; control pre-teens’ online access; evaluate the pros and cons of video games; filter the Internet for teens; combat the impact of the media; and counteract all that sex and violence. This guide arms parents with all the tricks and tools they need to make sure their kids remain happy, healthy, active, and aware, no matter how pervasive the digital world we live in becomes.