Blog Posts by Common Sense Media

Sometimes media actually brings this dad and his kids closer together. By Baldwin Cheng, Common Sense Media blogger

As a dad, I constantly feel torn between needing to be a strict "Tiger Dad" vs. wanting to be a "fun dad." On the one hand, I have a responsibility to protect my kids and teach them the right life skills. On the other hand, I want to have close bonds with them, to share in their lives, and not to be the bad guy all the time.

When my two older kids were still in elementary school, our nightly family ritual always included a negotiation over "just one TV show, pleeeeease," which inevitably turned into two or even three, followed by a lot of whining, crying, and empty threats (from both kids and parents). We had to Just. Say. No.

So we laid down some strict limits: No TV or video games on school nights, and a cap on screen time on weekends. Now, if they really, really want to watch a show, I'll record it to watch on the weekend.

We put similar limits on their tech: game systems, cell phones, the Internet, and Facebook. They

5 Things You Need to Know This Week"5 Things You Need to Know This Week" is a reoccurring Friday feature at Common Sense Media

In addition to spring movie season heating up, we're also celebrating a Kickstarter success story, remembering our favorite music teachers, and sharing our Netflix picks on Facebook -- or are we? Here are some of the hot topics around our office this week.

• The drug- and sex-fueled movie Spring Breakers, starring Disney queens Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens, is ruffling parents' feathers -- especially those whose kids have seen them as role models.
• Fans of canceled TV series Veronica Mars kicked in $2 million in one day to fund the production of a movie based on the show.
• Grammys aren't just for pop stars. Our digital media director/resident cellist invites you to nominate the music teachers who've most inspired you.
• Ready to expose your guilty pleasures? Netflix goes social with a new Facebook app.
• Riding high on its Best Picture Oscar win, Argo faces a potential

Smartphone rules are for parents, too.By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media editor

Distracted parenting is a hot topic lately. Some experts are linking the rise in smartphone ownership with a spike in emergency room visits for kids under 5. As a parent of two kids and an avid iPhone user, I can attest to plenty of distracted parenting moments -- not something I'm terribly proud of.

Despite this, I think smartphones are great and can really enhance parenting to some degree. I've certainly appreciated being able to use the map app to figure out how to get to swim lessons. And texting to coordinate afterschool plans is so convenient. Plus there are so many great apps for both parents and kids -- useful for skill building or entertainment when you're in a particularly slow line at the grocery store.

But if we parents are going to use smartphones, we do need to make a few rules for ourselves. One thing research has shown is that smartphone users' interpretation of how long they're staring at their phones

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media editor

When I was a kid my dad read to me every night. By age 5, I was traveling nightly through the worlds of The Hobbit or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Even afternoon naps would start with a bit of poetry.

When I had my kids, I knew that I wanted to raise them to be readers. I took to heart the lessons my father taught me -- that reading quickly or knowing how to pronounce long words aren't the important things, but loving the sound of language, identifying with the characters, and enjoying the journey into other worlds are what make reading fun.

By the time my youngest was learning to read, I was discovering graphic novels for myself, like Hope Larson's A Wrinkle in Time and Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series. I noticed how attracted my son was to the images in my books. He would curl up with me and stare at the gorgeous illustrations and ask me about the characters and the stories. So we visited the comic book store and the library

5 Things You Need to Know This Week

"5 Things You Need to Know This Week" is a reoccurring Friday feature at Common Sense Media

Now that the Oscars are over and the first day of March is here, we're looking ahead at the 11 new movies in our spring movie preview. We're also commenting on the Apple in-app settlement, ogling Google Glasses, and spreading the word about our new Apps for Kids with Special Needs guide.

• Fairy tales, magic, sci-fi, and sports: 11 spring movies to put on your radar.
• Apple pays up: 23 million parents will be compensated for their kids' unauthorized in-app purchases.
• We love our VP's candid blog post about how digital media has helped her special needs kid.
• Tempted to read your kid's texts? Our parenting expert weighs in.
• Google glasses are so cool! But how much of our digital privacy is at stake?

Jack the Giant SlayerBy Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media reviewer

Who says summer is the only time for movie blockbusters? Box-office-wise, March and April look nearly as exciting as May through August. While there's only one major animated flick aimed at younger moviegoers (The Croods), tweens and teens can look forward to everything from reimagined fairy tales (Jack the Giant Slayer) and highly anticipated book adaptations (Oz the Great and Powerful, The Host) to the dino-mite 3-D re-release of Jurassic Park.

No matter how old your kids are, our sneak peeks will help you decide whether these high-profile movies will be appropriate for your family.

Jack the Giant Slayer (March 1)
Target Age: Tweens and Teens
Buzz Factor: Disney has reimagined the Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer fairy tales with a swashbuckling young hero (Nicholas Hoult) who volunteers for a dangerous mission to save a beautiful princess (Eleanor Tomlinson) from the land of giants. With tons of

Common Sense MediaBy Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media editor

My 6-year-old son is completely obsessed with a virtual world app called Tiny Monsters. All his friends are, too. And while his friends' parents feed their kids' iTunes accounts, enabling these tiny monsters to quickly grow into bigger ones, my son is stuck waiting and waiting for them to grow without the added boost of an in-app purchase.

When I brought up the idea of allowing our son to spend his $1 per week allowance on his favorite game, my husband was flatly against it. His reason -- that this virtual spending would nix any potential learning about money management -- seemed valid at first. If our son doesn't hold the dollar in his hand and pass it over to a cashier or slip coins into a slot, how will he understand that the money is no longer his?

But were we being old-fashioned? Isn't our society moving toward digital payments for everything? When was the last time we used actual cash for anything? And doesn't our son need

Common Sense MediaBy Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media editor

My son would glue his eyeballs to my iPhone if I let him. He wants every second he can squeeze out of that shiny device, and we're constantly wrestling with the when and how of device time. So when I found a way for us to blend outdoor time and exercise with the allure of the iPhone, I knew I'd struck gold.

Geocaching is something that tech-savvy (and GPS-owning) families have been doing for ages, but now that many families own at least one smartphone, this digitally driven treasure hunt is something almost anyone can enjoy.

Here's the deal: An international community of treasure hunters (known as geocachers) have hidden little caches of fun stuff all over the world. You can use your smartphone to hunt down the treasures -- usually little goodies like plastic toy animals, a play token, or maybe a dime. How cool is that?

Recently, I took three kids to a nearby park and spent hours searching trails, tree stumps, boulders,