My daughter has the unfortunate ability to get lost in the music she is listening to in her ipod. This serves as a great distraction to her when she is running. So distracting that she has almost stepped on a snake and in front of a car. Her mom saved her on those occasions, the rest of the time I rely on her guardian angel.

 Beside the distraction these MP3 players provide, there is growing concern about hearing loss in the teens that use them. A recent report said that nearly one in five teens has some hearing loss attributed to these devices. The hearing loss was described as 'slight' meaning that teens could not hear dripping water or whispering.

This is not new information. A study published in the BBC news in 2007 showed that two thirds of 'regular' MP3 listeners suffered from hearing loss because the volumes were too high. The average volume was above 85 decibels, the equivalent of listening to an alarm clock at close range.

Most of the time, listeners crank up the volume to compensate for surrounding noise. Worse still, most teens appear to be unaware of how loud the music is-if you can hear what they are listening to...it is too loud! Some earbuds promise to block out this noise so that a lower volume can be used. This sounds like a good idea but not much research is available on this yet. 

Help monitor the use of these MP 3 players or the next device you might see in your child's ear is a hearing aid!

  I agree, you already have enough to worry about. Frankly, I'm not sure whether to worry or laugh about this one... The Dallas Morning News recently had a small article on "digital drugs'. Digital drugs are sound patterns called binaural beats that are sold on the internet and promise to provide you with the same physical effects as drugs or alcohol. The theory is that by wearing headphones the different sounds enter and combine to form a new frequency that corresponds to brain wave frequencies. They supposedly synchronize with your own brain waves and cause you to enter into an 'altered state'.

 Other binaural beats promise to make you have special powers such as ESP, help you lose weight or elimate your gray hair.

 There is no evidence that such sounds can have the effects described (sounds like a great set up for a placebo experiment to me!)

But here is what you should worry about....Jose Szapocznik of the Miami Miller School of Medicine said 'when your child is looking for an altered state of consciousness because they're bored, or because their world is painful for them...that's what parents should be worried about."

Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens

You’ve probably learned a long list of important safety and privacy lessons already: Look both ways before crossing the street; buckle up; hide your diary where your nosy brother can’t find it; don’t talk to strangers.

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, is urging kids to add one more lesson to the list: Don’t post information about yourself online that you don’t want the whole world to know. The Internet is the world’s biggest information exchange: many more people could see your information than you intend, including your parents, your teachers, your employer, the police — and strangers, some of whom could be dangerous.

Social networking sites have added a new factor to the “friends of friends” equation. By providing information about yourself and using blogs, chat rooms, email, or instant messaging, you can communicate, either within a limited community, or with the world at large. But while the sites can increase your circle of friends, they also can increase your exposure to people who have less-than-friendly intentions. You’ve heard the stories about people who were stalked by someone they met online, had their identity stolen, or had their computer hacked.

Your Safety’s at Stake

The FTC suggests these tips for socializing safely online:

• Think about how different sites work before deciding to join a site. Some sites will allow only a defined community of users to access posted content; others allow anyone and everyone to view postings.
• Think about keeping some control over the information you post. Consider restricting access to your page to a select group of people, for example, your friends from school, your club, your team, your community groups, or your family.
• Keep your information to yourself. Don’t post your full name, Social Security number, address, phone number, or bank and credit card account numbers — and don’t post other people’s information, either. Be cautious about posting information that could be used to identify you or locate you offline. This could include the name of your school, sports team, clubs, and where you work or hang out.
• Make sure your screen name doesn’t say too much about you. Don’t use your name, your age, or your hometown. Even if you think your screen name makes you anonymous, it doesn’t take a genius to combine clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found.
• Post only information that you are comfortable with others seeing — and knowing — about you. Many people can see your page, including your parents, your teachers, the police, the college you might want to apply to next year, or the job you might want to apply for in five years.
• Remember that once you post information online, you can’t take it back. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people’s computers.
• Consider not posting your photo. It can be altered and broadcast in ways you may not be happy about. If you do post one, ask yourself whether it’s one your mom would display in the living room.
• Flirting with strangers online could have serious consequences. Because some people lie about who they really are, you never really know who you’re dealing with.
• Be wary if a new online friend wants to meet you in person. Before you decide to meet someone, do your research: Ask whether any of your friends know the person, and see what background you can dig up through online search engines. If you decide to meet them, be smart about it: Meet in a public place, during the day, with friends you trust. Tell an adult or a responsible sibling where you’re going, and when you expect to be back.
• Trust your gut if you have suspicions. If you feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, tell an adult you trust and report it to the police and the social networking site. You could end up preventing someone else from becoming a victim.

Safety advice from the Federal Trade Commission - Facts for Consumers at  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm

  A few years ago, I had a teenager who was losing weight consistently. It became quickly obvious that the weight loss was on purpose despite her apparent confusion as to the cause. Her mother was perplexed too and I grew fearful that I would not be able to convince the mother that her child was anorexic. In one of my meetings,  I learned of a Child Protective Service case where a teen was removed from the home due to the parents not addressing the anorexia. I was shocked to learn that this practice was not uncommon. Fortunately, my teen entered therapy and presently is quite beautiful at a weight that is normal for her body type.

  In England and Ireland, experts are advocating removing children from homes if they are obese. Now, I am confident this is not your chubby toddler they are talking about - this is the 'obese" that has us all looking into the future and seeing the onset of diabetes or hypertension at a too early age.  Like those diseases, the experts argue that parents are not providing medical therapy for this chronic disease. They state that the parents are neglecting to provide a healthy diet and exercise. They are failing by giving  into pleas for fattening foods and  desserts.

 One doctor from Nottingham was quoted as saying the parents are killing their children with kindness.  Other interesting quotes from doctors in the article: 

• "I've seen a 10-year-old who could only walk a few yards with a walking stick. Her diet of chips and high fat food could firmly be laid at the parents' door. I believe they were killing her slowly"

   

• "One 12-year-old boy came into hospital to be put on a diet. His family were caught smuggling in 1lb bars of chocolate for him"

  Not everyone feels the same about these cases. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said: "Obesity is a public health problem, not a child protection issue.

What do you think?