Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, MD

I was hunting for a quote about social media for a recent talk I was giving and stumbled upon an article that began with these lines:

"Social media is already massive. And growing at the speed of avalanche."

The first word that popped to my mind was "yes!"....

It's true. I sometimes linger in parking spaces to text, talk on my cell phone or check email. I've been doing it for a while. It drives me bonkers when I see people walking and using their phones, checking their phones in line at Starbucks, or, worse, using their phones...

It was incredibly serendipitous that my family was vacationing at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. when the scuttlebutt over the Habit Heroes exhibit erupted. As a mom, pediatrician and health expert, I've learned over the years to not buy into the emotional uproar of these situations...

When you think of the word 'social', what comes to mind? Is it a happy, positive image, or an unhappy, negative one?

Technically speaking, the adjective 'social' is defined by dictionary.com as "pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations: a social...

"If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, 
put some responsibility on their shoulders." 
-- Abigail Van Buren

Do you feel kids today are as responsible as kids a generation ago?

This recent conversation with a mom opened my eyes to this age-old concern:

Mom: Are...

The countdown has begun, for young and old.

This is one of my most favorite times of the year, except for one thing: Christmas Day starts too early in the Dr. Gwenn house. We celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah and, I'll admit, one of my most favorite parts of...

A's in school. Elite sports teams. All-year sports. Weekend sports games. Weekend music rehearsals. Evening play rehearsals. First chair in orchestras and bands. National competitions in academics, sports and the arts. Hours of homework each night. State testing. School tests and projects.

This is our kids' life.

If...

Does this Oscar Mayer commercial remind you of your family?

If so, you're very much not alone. I don't think there's a parent among us who hasn't experienced this at least once. If the truth be told, I've lost count how often I've had to resort to some interesting tactics to get my overly plugged in teens' attention, recently and when they were younger. I've texted, IM'd, stood in front of the screen and hit the off switch... but shutting off the house power... brilliant. Honestly. I wish I had thought of that one.

I'll add, though, that I worry less about the kids using technology at the end of the day than I do when I see a family out to dinner, or during an outing, with kids and adults both plugged in and not engaging. How will our kids learn to experience the 'real' world if they are always plugged in??

I was at a local mall not too long ago when I saw an entire family whip out techno-devices during a quick food court lunch. The table had more digital devices on it than food!

When I think of the big picture of our kids digital lives, there are two simple ways to help them learn balance and be OK with living a life more unplugged:

1. Keeping them busy with activities that don't involve plugs.
2. Being a role model for technological balance and appropriate use.

Our kids are savvy enough to see through us if we try to preach one path but follow another. Our kids watch us closely and pick up on everything we do, especially our lapses. So, if we tell them to not text and drive but do it ourselves... we lose credibility and they'll test it out. If we tell them to not be on Facebook so much but are always checking, at home and on our cellphones, they'll follow suit. 


With school around the corner, now is the perfect time to think about the type of digital home you want to have and inch towards a more healthy one. Here's some thoughts to ponder between now and Labor Day to get you on your way: 


1. Unplug and often. Think about where you plug in. Do you really need to be on the phone while at a coffee shop or Target? How about grocery shopping?

2. How often do you check email or obsess over your Facebook, Google+ or other social media accounts? If you can't go a good 4-6 hours with out checking, you may have a problem. We can all get hardwired to think we need to check, but we actually don't. What are you worried you are going to miss and from who?

3.Think about who are friending and why. Are you collecting people just because or do the folks on your various SM lists have meaning and provide value to you personally or professionally?

4.Post smartly and judiciously. If you are a poster but never respond to anyone, why is that?

5. Good connections have boundaries. Be careful how you post, who you post to and make sure your privacy settings are what you want them to be.

6. Have home family use rules that make sense and everyone needs to follow. Here's my family media use plan that you can use or modify for your family.

Over the coming weeks I'll tease through these issues in more detail. This is one area in our lives we can have our cake and eat it, too, if we're willing to make the necessary changes ourselves. It's all in balance and moderation... and remembering that what our kids see us do today are what they'll try out tomorrow....

Have you ever noticed that the minute you attempt to inform your kids about something they tune you out with that all too familiar look. It plays out for them like a scene in Charlie Brown with our sage words of wisdom sounding like muffled, meaningless noises.

Clearly we...