Media Moms & Digital Dads: A Fact-Not-Fear Approach to Parenting in the Digital Age

Book info: Media Moms & Digital Dads: A Fact-Not-Fear Approach to Parenting in the Digital Age (Paperback, 264 pages) – Routledge, 2015. Language: English.

Is social media ruining our kids? How much internet activity is too much? What do FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), sexting, and selfies mean for teens? Are you curious about what research says about how media and technology are impacting childhood? Supported by academic research focused on technology, Media Moms & Digital Dads breaks down complex issues in a friendly, accessible fashion, making it a highly useful and, ultimately, reassuring read for anyone worries about the impact that media might be having on young minds.  Dr. Uhls ends each chapter with summaries of the science, bottom lines for quick takeaways, and tips and guidance for parents. Each chapter delves into a different issue, so parents can easily turn to their own particular needs and skip what doesn't concern them.  Dr Uhls expertise as former Hollywood executive and current expert on child development and media gives her a unique and important perspective.  As a trained scientist she understands the fascinating studies conducted by researchers,  and as a mom of digital teens, she knows what actually works and can relate to the reality of being a parent in the 21st century.  Dr. Uhls also describes the research she conducted at UCLA (extensively reported on in news outlets such as the NY Times, NPR and Time Magazine) including her studies about fame and social media and about whether the extensive time we stare at screens impacts non verbal emotional understanding.  Chapters (with descriptions of research, bottom lines and guidance for parents) include: 

• Forward by the CEO from the national, non-profit Common Sense Media
• Overview of parenting in the digital age 
• Screen time for babies and toddlers
• The Mobile Era
• The Digital Brain
• Social Media and Social Lives
• Fame, FOMO and selfies
• The Digital Brain
• Learning in the Digital Age
• Education in the Digital Age
• Videogames

There are few hotter parenting issues today than helping our children safely navigate they digital world in which we live. It provides both immense opportunity for learning and connecting and yet great opportunity for making mistakes and harm.  Knowing what the facts are and when and how to get involved is perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of parenting.  Media Moms & Digital Dads offers parents reassuring and fact based guidance on how best to manage screens and media for their children. About the Author Yalda T. Uhls has dedicated her entire career to media, first as a storyteller at movie studies such as MGM and Sony, and currently as a research expert on kids and media. Dr. Uhls, a child psychologist scientist, works with schools, non-profits, and companies. Her understanding of the academic literature along with her many years of senior management experience in the entertainment industry allows her a unique and relevant perspective, steeped in an understanding of the business world. She is passionate about translating science into useful knowledge and takeaways for parents, organizations and educators. Her position is balanced, based in fact and relevant to those concerned with using media in realistic and positive ways to shape youth development. In addition to her consulting and other work, Dr. Uhls works with Common Sense Media, a national non-profit, as their Director of Creative Community Partnerships and does research with UCLA. Companies that have sought out her expertise include Google LA, Henson Pictures, Disney Channel and Hewlett Packard. Dr Uhls's research focuses on how older and newer media impacts the social behavior of preadolescents. The studies frequently have national impact and have been featured in Time Magazine, the NY Times, USA Today and NPR as well as in many scholarly publications. Notable awards include UCLA's Psychology In Action Award, for excellence in communicating psychological research to audiences beyond academia and the Society for Research in Child Development's Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation. Prior to her academic career, Yalda spent over fifteen years as a senior entertainment executive and producer. She holds an MBA, and a PhD in developmental psychology, from UCLA. Most importantly, as a mom of two digital teens (a boy and a girl) she has hands-on experience dealing with these issues.