Media Literacy and Mental Health, featuring Common Sense Media – Shrinking It Down

Two grade school-age siblings using a digital tablet on the couch

By Gene Beresin, Executive Director and Khadijah Booth Watkins, Associate Director

Today’s young people are spending more time online than previous generations, and many parents and caregivers worry about how digital media is affecting their mental, emotional, and social well-being. Strengthening media literacy skills can help us all better use media as engaged and informed consumers. But what does “media literacy” mean, and how can we help kids and teens build these skills?

On today’s episode of Shrinking It Down, Dr. Michael Robb, Senior Director of Research at Common Sense Media, joins Gene and Khadijah to talk about how parents can help kids better understand the media they use, and make healthier choices about it. Plus, why the quality of screen content matters more than the amount of screen time. Tune in for more!

Thank you for joining in this conversation. If you have a question about helping kids build media literacy skills, we’d love to hear from you. Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

Michael Robb, PhD (Common Sense Media)
Home Alone (YouTube)
The Beatles – Ticket To Ride (YouTube)
Ticket to Ride (Days of Wonder)
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Education
Common Sense Kids Action
What is media literacy, and why is it important? (Common Sense Media)
Common Sense Media Reviews
Chasing Coral (Common Sense Media)
3 Things Parents Should Do If a Child Is Being Cyberbullied (MGH Clay Center)
Screen time and kids: Parents need to worry less about hours logged (CNN)
Could Screen-Free Week Backfire? Finding The Middle Ground (MGH Clay Center)
Gaming Disorder: Is It a Real Illness? (MGH Clay Center)
How to Talk to Teens About Dealing with Online Predators (Common Sense Media)
Digital Parenting 101 — Screen Time to Social Media (Verywell Family)
eParenting: Setting Limits Even If Your Kids Know More Than You Do (MGH Clay Center)
The Immediacy of Digital Media: For Better or Worse? (MGH Clay Center)
Stressed about your kid’s screen time? Don’t be (The Boston Globe)
Why Are Teens So Lonely and What Can They Do to Combat Loneliness? (MGH Clay Center)
Data Show No Evidence That Teens’ Social Media Use Predicts Depression Over Time (Association for Psychological Science)
Teens Did Surprisingly Well In Quarantine (The Atlantic)
Fauci Says End to Pandemic Is in Sight, Thanks to Vaccines (Bloomberg News)
How Do We Heal From Here? – Shrinking It Down (MGH Clay Center)

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for ‘Shrinking It Down.’

Episode produced by Joshua Eng

Music by Gene Beresin

Thanks for visiting the Clay Center. We are entirely funded by visitors like you. We receive no financial support from Massachusetts General Hospital or Harvard Medical School. Your support of our work helps us to continue to produce content on mental health topics that support the emotional well-being of young people everywhere.

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Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Gene Beresin, M.D. is executive director of The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a staff child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also a ...

To learn more about Gene, or to contact him directly, please see Our Team.

Khadijah Booth Watkins, Associate Director

Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH, is associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Associate Director of the Child and...

To learn more about Khadijah, or to contact her directly, please see Our Team.

Media Literacy and Mental Health, featuring Common Sense Media – Shrinking It Down