The Mediatrician's Guide: A Joyful Approach to Raising Healthy, Smart, Kind Kids in a Screen-Saturated World

by Michael Rich, MD, MPH, Teresa Barker (With)

Overview

A Whole-Child Approach to Digital Wellness and Healthy Media Use

"...a godsend for the parent whose child is glued to their smartphone or laptop." –Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D., psychologist, author of Raising Cain

In this holistic approach, Dr. Michael Rich empowers you to guide your children toward smart and healthy digital choices with straightforward instructions and actionable advice that you can customize for your family's specific needs.

Known as the "Mediatrician" due to his acclaimed work as a pediatrician, child health researcher, and children's media specialist, Dr. Rich presents a compassionate and realistic look at the reality of growing up in a screen-saturated world—and how you can help your kids emerge from a technology-rich environment as happy, well-informed, empathetic adults.

Backed by scientific evidence and decades of professional and personal practice, The Mediatrican's Guide will give you the tools to:

• Combat toxic media influences and virtual addiction.
• Train your family toward digital wellness.
• Understand what your child is learning from media.
• Rise above the anxiety of digital inundation and find a healthy, happy medium.

"...offer[s] seasoned and sensible guardrails as we all enter this brave new world together." –Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent, CNN

"…[A] thoughtful, timely, and entertaining overview of what it means to grow up immersed in a world of digital ubiquity." –John Battelle, Cofounder of WIRED

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780785255727
Publisher:	Harper Horizon
Publication date:	02/06/2024
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	149,541
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Michael Rich, MD, MPH is an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and practices adolescent medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. Pediatrician, child health researcher, father, and filmmaker, Dr. Rich is the founder and director of the Digital Wellness Lab and the first evidence-based medical program addressing physical, mental, and social health issues associated with digital technology use, the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID). As the Mediatrician, Dr. Rich offers research-based, actionable, and practical answers to parents’, educators’, and clinicians’ questions about children’s and adolescents’ media use and the positive and negative implications for their health and development.

Co-writer of the New York Times bestseller Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys and other Wall Street Journal, amazon.com and Goodreads top picks, Teresa H. Barker writes about health and child development, parenting, creative aging, and life passages. Formerly of Oregon, she now lives in Chicago.

Editorial Reviews

'Through the voice of a parent, owning his own successes and failures as a parent, The Mediatrician provides explanations and practical approaches to navigating the digital world which our child shift into and out of. He also points out, albeit more gently than I might, that children mirror what they see. Since we grown-ups constantly shift our attention from one screen to another, it's not surprising that our children do the same. This book can help parents and children reconnect IRL while simultaneously teaching us all how to harness the good in our digital world.'

Stacy Drury

'Parents, educators, and yes, even teenagers will all benefit from Dr. Rich's thoughtful, timely, and entertaining overview of what it means to grow up immersed in a world of digital ubiquity. His work demonstrates empathy, deep understanding, and strong prescriptions for what ails us all.'

John Battelle

'Finally! A caring, wise, and joyful guide to the possibilities and the perils of our increasingly more digital existence. As a producer and performer on screens large and small, I am deeply aware of their power to reflect our authentic selves and direct our relationships with others. Just as Free to Be...You and Me reminded us of our shared humanity, in this book, you will meet young people and their parents as they work with The Mediatrician, to optimize their health and development in a constantly evolving world. Dr. Rich's compassion, imagination, and warm humor serve as a compass for us all as we teach and learn from the next generation.'

Marlo Thomas

'The Mediatrician's Guide is a godsend for the parent whose child is glued to their smartphone or laptop. Dr. Rich combines cutting-edge scientific research, deep wisdom about child development, and a pediatrician's calming voice to answer the questions parents have about how to raise healthy children in a world of screens. I learned so much from this indispensable companion for anyone who works with kids. Now I know how to answer all the questions I am getting from parents about boys and their devices.'

Michael G. Thompson

'Raising a child in an age of constant screens requires thoughtfulness navigating not only our own digital use but also our children's. We didn't know how to find a balance within it. Dr. Rich has taken his experiences and given us a roadmap to find that balance!'

Hank Azaria

'When my wife and I were trying to navigate the digital world of devices and social media alongside our three teenage daughters, all roads led to the wonderful Dr. Michael Rich. Drawing on his experiences as a pediatrician and former filmmaker, he has the rare ability to offer seasoned and sensible guardrails as we all enter this brave new world together. This book is a must have, and will soon become your best friend, full of daily tips and long-lasting wisdom.'

Sanjay Gupta