We are learning more and more about alcohol effects on young brains. This gives us more information to share with teens themselves and more scientific reasons to set clear limits and consequences around underage drinking. It also helps make clear why hosting drinking parties doesn’t do teens any favors! Alcohol and the brain Adults issue… Read More →
Does this sound familiar? You are driving your daughter and her two friends to a soccer game and the car is unusually quiet. They must be mentally preparing for the big game, you think. How nice. You maintain this illusion until you hit the first long red light at which point you glance into the… Read More →
I just wrote a post on the importance of face-to-face interaction for tweens. Here are a couple of ways to make sure you are striking a good balance between online and offline time: Make meal times screen free. This is a great time to start conversations about the day and connect with one another. Ask… Read More →
School districts strapped for cash and facing pressure to increase test scores often try to preserve classroom instruction by making cuts to physical education and recess. Districts are making very difficult decisions and I don’t envy them! Unfortunately, based on the latest brain science, cutting exercise can be counterproductive. Brains and Bodies Are Connected Think… Read More →
Many parents share your love/hate relationship with technology. This ambivalence makes a lot of sense! If you synthesize the mountain of research on technology’s impact on kids it boils down to this: there is a lot of incredible opportunity and a lot of stuff our kids could do without. So how do we respond? The… Read More →
A number of years ago a parent, Eleanor, contacted me after a talk to ask me a question about digital distractions. Eleanor had recently attended her son Jeremy’s school conferences and was surprised to learn that he was having a very difficult time focusing in class. “Dr. Walsh,” she exclaimed, “It doesn’t make any sense!… Read More →
Are you worried about your child’s video game habits? Take a look at this video game addiction symptoms checklist I created to see if you have cause for alarm. While this is not a diagnostic tool, it can help you assess whether or not games are an unhealthy part of your child’s life and if… Read More →
Is this scene familiar to you? You think your child is diligently doing homework. You knock and hear a cheery “Come on in.” As you enter, your daughter is holding the telephone in one hand, a message is popping up on her Facebook page, and the latest song from her favorite group is blaring from her… Read More →
I just wrote a post about the brains of the multitasking generation and the cognitive costs of juggling too much at the same time. Here are some tips for parents to make sure your children have multitasking under control. Their brains will thank you! Explain to your child that his or her brain is like… Read More →
Teenage sexting dominates media headlines, but like any hot issue making a big splash in the news, is sexting really happening and is it really a big deal? There is a huge range in the research because the data depends upon how you define and measure sexting. In one recent study, about 12% of teens… Read More →
