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MIKE. THANK YOU. 815 IS YOUR TIME WITH SUMMER OVER AND KIDS BACK IN SCHOOL. MANY PARENTS ARE RETHINKING SCREEN TIME. TOO MUCH TIME ON DEVICES HAS BEEN LINKED TO A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT COULD HAVE A LONG TERM IMPACT ON OUR CHILDREN. SO JOINING US TO TALK MORE ABOUT HOW TO BUILD HEALTHIER DIGITAL HABITS FOR KIDS IS KAISER PEDIATRICIAN DOCTOR KEN HEMPSTEAD. DOCTOR HEMPSTEAD, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE IT. YEAH, THIS IS A THING FOR PARENTS, RIGHT? IT’S A IT’S A CONSTANT STRUGGLE. I KNOW I HAVE A FIVE AND A SIX YEAR OLD, BUT LET’S START OFF BY TALKING ABOUT THESE LONG TERM IMPACTS OF TOO MUCH SCREEN TIME. WHAT ARE THEY. IT’S SO DIFFICULT. SO YES, WE ARE CONCERNED THOUGH BECAUSE WE REALLY SEE IMPACTS ON KIDS MOOD, ESPECIALLY ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. WE SEE IMPACTS JUST ON THEIR PHYSICAL FITNESS AND LACK OF CONDITIONING AND JUST ABILITY TO JUST KIND OF SELF ENTERTAIN AND SELF-SOOTHE. WHAT ARE SOME GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS WHO MAY BE WONDERING, LIKE WHAT CAN I DO? YEAH. SO OF COURSE IT’S VERY CONTEXT DEPENDENT. WITH OUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN AND TODDLERS REALLY KNOW SCREEN IS BEST. SO MINIMIZE AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN AS THEY GET A LITTLE BIT OLDER. I THINK IT DEPENDS ON, AGAIN, CONTEXT OF WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, A FAMILY SITTING DOWN AND WATCHING A NATURE DOCUMENTARY IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN HANDING THE DEVICE TO THE CHILD, WHERE THEY’RE JUST ABLE TO KIND OF SCROLL AND HAVE WATCH YOUTUBE VERY, VERY STIMULATORY, EVEN ADDICTING TYPE OF CONTENT. EXPLAIN THE BALANCE. HOW CAN PARENTS HAVE THAT BALANCE? BY SAYING, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN USE THE SCREENS. OBVIOUSLY YOU WANT THEM TO LEARN THE TECHNOLOGY, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE. YES, I THINK LOOKING AT HOW IT’S IMPACTING YOUR CHILD, RIGHT. IF YOUR CHILD IS THRIVING IN MULTIPLE DOMAINS, DOING WELL AT SCHOOL, MOOD IS GOOD, SLEEP IS GOOD, FRIENDS ARE GOOD, THEN THEY’VE PROBABLY FOUND A GREAT BALANCE. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU’RE SEEING YOUR CHILD STRUGGLE WITH SOME OF THOSE THINGS AND I THINK THE REAL TEST IS WHEN YOU TRY TO TAKE IT AWAY. IF THERE’S A MELTDOWN, THEN SOMETHING’S OUT OF BALANCE THERE. SO I THINK THAT’S A GOOD WAY TO GAUGE IT. OKAY, SO NOW I HAVE A PERSONAL QUESTION. SO WHEN YOU DO TAKE IT AWAY AND THERE IS THE MELTDOWN, HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT AS A PARENT. SO YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THAT MEANS THERE IS A PROBLEM AND THEY’RE MOST LIKELY ADDICTED TO IT. BUT HOW DO YOU THEN GET TO THAT NEXT LEVEL OF BEING ABLE TO TAKE IT AWAY AND STILL INTRODUCE THINGS THAT ARE MORE POSITIVE FOR THEM? YEAH, I’D SAY THERE’S A TWO PRONGED APPROACH. ON ONE HAND, WE’RE ALWAYS TRYING TO VALIDATE WHAT OUR CHILD IS FEELING, RIGHT? SO RATHER THAN JUST BEING ANNOYED, IT’S I UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT THIS IS. THIS IS A TRUE ADDICTION. IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT. THEY’RE MISSING THAT DOPAMINE ALL OF A SUDDEN. SO THAT’S REALLY HARD. SO WE VALIDATE THAT FEELING FIRST AND STILL HAVE THAT FIRM BOUNDARY. SO IT’S A MIXTURE OF THOSE TWO THINGS I CAN SIT WITH YOU WITH THIS DIFFICULT EMOTION. AND I’M NOT GOING TO CHANGE MY STANCE ON IT. SO THAT’S REALLY THE BEST BET. AND THEN JUST HOLDING FIRM AND NOT GIVING IN TO TO TO TO WHAT THEY TO WHAT THEY WANT OF COURSE. OKAY. SO TIPS AND TRICKS. WHAT SHOULD PARENTS TAKE AWAY FROM THIS INTERVIEW THIS MORNING? I THINK A SLOW REDUCTION IS THE KEY RIGHT? WE CAN’T JUST TAKE IT ALL AWAY AND HAVE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS OR BEAT OURSELVES UP TOO MUCH. SO I WOULD SAY THINGS TEND TO SLIDE OVER THE SUMMER. TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY OVER THIS NEXT FEW WEEKS TO SLOWLY PULL THINGS BACK, SET SOME NEW LIMITS, SET SOME CONVERSATIONS AROUND, SAY, NOT HAVING DEVICES AT THE DINNER TABLE OR OTHER PRACTICAL THINGS LIKE THAT SO THAT WE CAN CREATE SOME SHELTERED TIME WHERE WE’RE TALKING AS A FAMILY AGAIN, ALL THAT SORT OF THING. SO SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE. OKAY, LOTS OF GREAT ADVICE. THANK YOU. I’LL