Mikko USA

Media Withdraw?

Admin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:45:50 +0000

These days our children are exposed to an overwhelming amount of media. A growing number of social media sites, a cool new TV series every season, and enough video games to keep them busy for a lifetime! Problem? Some say so…

A new study from the University of Maryland finds that students are hooked on social media and cellphones, describing withdrawals in terms similar to those used by drug and alcohol addicts. That’s right… addicts!

The study from the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, “24 Hours: Unplugged,” asked 200 students on the campus to give up all media for a full day and blog on private websites about their experience. Student reaction showed addiction-like withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, misery, and being jittery, the authors wrote.

How would your kids react if you took media away indefinitely? Would they go through withdraws? It may be time to intervene … The Mikko Que can help you establish more balance in your home by providing a time management solution.

Need more information? Give us a call at 1-877-900-0132.

Kids & Sleep Deprivation

Admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:34:49 +0000

Sleep deprivation…Yes, it is quite common in adults but recent research has shown that it is also becoming more common in kids. Why? Seattle Children’s Research Institute found that children ages 3 to 5 experienced more sleep problems with each additional hour of daytime violent media or nighttime TV they consume.

Most of us know that violent media leads to more aggression and less prosocial behavior in children but many do not know of the sleep deprivation associated with it.

Early childhood sleep disruption has been linked to obesity, behavior problems, and poor school performance. The solution? Parents should start limiting the amount of time their kids are spending in front of the TV and internet at an early age. Additionally, screen time should be avoided entirely right before bed (especially the violent media). Any media consumed in the evening increases difficulty in falling asleep.

Regulate your kids screen time with the Mikko Que … an easy-to-use timing system that enables parents to manage and monitor the amount of time a child may spend on a particular entertainment system. Call us today for more information!

‘Active’ Video Games Better for Kids’ Weight?

Admin — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:04:07 +0000

A recent study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that by replacing traditional video games with active ones may benefit kids.

In the study, 322 overweight 10-14 year olds that already spent 2 hours a week on their non-active video games were observed. They split the kids into 2 groups. One group was given EyeToy (exercise) games and the other group kept playing their usual non-active games. The two groups were observed for 6 months.

The results showed the group that continued playing their usual non-active games gained between 2 and 3 pounds. The group that switched to the active EyeToy exercise games showed no change in their weight.

Is This a Real Solution?

Guidelines from The American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups urge parents to limit children’s “screen time” to no more than two hours per day. Most people agree that less time in front of the TV is better. Playing outside is a much healthier pastime. It stimulates exercise!

Another concern is that we can’t always be there to regulate the amount of time our children are playing video games. That is where we step in. We specialize in the development of media control solutions that make it possible for parents to manage the amount of time their children spend watching television, playing video games and surfing the Internet.

To learn more about our solution visit– http://www.MikkoUSA.com

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/m2PsrE (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online May 18, 2011).

How are you Managing your Children’s Media Consumption this Summer?

Admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:32:41 +0000

Do you remember the good old days when kids spend their summers building forts, swimming in lakes, or selling lemonade for 25 cents? Gone are those days! Now, kids are spending their summers immersed in the TV/video gaming or surfing the internet.

How do you get your kids unglued from the TV or internet? How do you get them to play outside? It may be difficult if they are home alone with fulltime access to media consumption. Nerds on Call have scoured the Internet for the best tips and tools to bring the relaxation back to summer vacation and Mikko Que was featured in their article! The Mikko Que takes the worry out of not being home to regulate media consumption during the summer…or really anytime of the year!

The Mikko Que is a time management system for all of your home media devices. It’s simple… Connect the Mikko box to your TV, gaming unit and Internet connection, then set time limits for each of your kids! This is a great way to set these much needed guidelines (without having to constantly keep a watchful eye) and help your kids enjoy what summer is really about…getting out and enjoying the beautiful weather, enjoying friends, and making memories!

Mikko Que featured on Good Morning AZ http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/How-to-protect-your-kids-online-122518799.html

Internet Empowers?

Admin — Sat, 14 May 2011 16:26:14 +0000

No one can deny the many benefits that the internet has provided for us. It has essentially changed the world around us. It not only helps us stay connected to family and friends, but it also provides us with a plethora of information with a click of a button! But does the internet actually empower us?

Since the World Wide Web was invented two decades ago, we have been celebrating these benefits — and rightly so. But we’ve been paying much less attention to the negative consequences of our online lives. As we rush around the web gathering little pieces of information, we seem to be training our brains to be quick but superficial.

Food For Thought

Our kids are sent home with homework on a daily basis…right? Are your kids actually reading the material given to them? Are they researching and thinking for themselves or are they “Googling” or plugging the questions into the internet? This can be devastating to our future generations. We need to teach our children to slow down, and take the necessary time to soak up the valuable information being taught to them. We need to encourage the development of a strong, creative, and supple mind!

Excess Screen Time & Low Physical Activity—A Recipe for Cardiovascular Risk

Admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:44:32 +0000

Research is showing more and more negative consequences of children spending too much time in front of the TV, internet, and video games.

The Problem

Young children who spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games have narrower eye arteries than kids who are more physically active, new Australian research reports. Narrower arteries are a marker of future cardiovascular risk, and the narrower the vessels, the higher the risk, the experts said.

“Changes to the retinal vessels give a good idea of what is going on in the rest of the body, particularly the heart,” said Dr. Bamini Gopinath, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney, who conducted the research. “In adults, we’ve found that narrower retinal arteries signal increased risk of hypertension and heart disease.”

The Solution

It’s all about time management! “The data shows that replacing one hour a day of screen time with physical activity could help in minimizing the unfavorable influence on the retinal vessels,” Dr. Bamini Gopinath said.

Put the Plan in Action

We can help you put your plan into action with the MIKKO Que. It’s an easy-to-use timing system that enables parents to manage and monitor the amount of time a child may spend on a particular entertainment system connected to a lock box that interrupts video and audio signals. When the signals go off–your child will be forced to find something else to do. Perhaps play outside…

The study findings are published in the April 20 online edition of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.

A Raunchy Game for the Nintendo Wii has Outraged Parents

Admin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:51:39 +0000

The recent video trailer promoting “We Dare” (a game for Nintendo Wii) has stirred up a lot of commotion from parents of video gamers. The “We Dare” video trailer features two couples following on-screen instructions from the console. The girls are seen with the Wii remote dangling suggestively between their lips. Players then hide the “Wiimote” inside their pants before the others spank their backsides to control a flying cartoon character on the screen.

One version of the promotional video, already seen by 375,000 people on YouTube, ends with the guys in the video swapping partners and apparently going off to have sex. An alternative ending has all four romping together. The game is due for release on the Wii and PlayStation 3 next month.

Parents say the 12+ certificate is a disgrace. Laura Pearson, 52, from Birmingham, said: “I have a 13-year-old daughter. If I knew she was playing a highly-charged sexual game I would be appalled. “A spokeswoman for French makers Ubisoft said: “We Dare is intended for an adult audience.” She said the age rating was set by an independent European panel.

Do you know what your kids are watching/ playing? Would you let your kids partake in this video game intended for 12+? Watch the video and decide for yourself…

Resource: The Sun/News

Concerns Brew with Teens and Social Media

Admin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:18:35 +0000

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. It’s becoming more and more popular with every breath we take these days! According to a Common Sense Media poll from August 2009, 22 percent of teenagers log on to their favorite social media site (such as Facebook) more than 10 times a day, and more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day. Now that’s a lot of time spent on social media! So what’s the problem?

“Facebook depression”

Experts day that the over exposure of social media may be a contributing factor in teen depression. Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe (a Boston-area pediatrician) explains that there are unique aspects of Facebook that can make it a particularly tough social landscape to navigate for kids already dealing with poor self-esteem. Facebook is a place where you can tally your friends, see others smiling and having fun, and get the dish on who is dating who.

How We Can Help

The new American Association of Pediatrics offers some great tips for parents on how to help teens navigate the social media landscape:

Talk to teens about their online use and the specific issues that today’s online kids face, such as cyber bullying, sexting, and difficulty managing their time.
Work on their own “participation gap” in their homes by becoming better educated about the many technologies their children are using.
Use a family online-use plan, with an emphasis on healthy behavior.
Supervise online activities via active participation and communication, not just via monitoring software.

Learn about a solution that makes it possible for parents to manage the amount of time their children spend on the Internet on our website.

Is watching TV bad for baby’s brains?

Admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:34:39 +0000

Did you know that babies who watch TV are more likely to have delayed cognitive development and language at 14 months, especially if they’re watching programs intended for adults and older children? And yes… 24 and Grey’s Anatomy don’t qualify as educational programs!

Babies who watched 60 minutes of TV daily had developmental scores one-third lower at 14 months than babies who weren’t watching TV. Though their developmental scores were still in the normal range, the discrepancy may be due to the fact that when kids and parents are watching TV, they’re missing out on talking, playing, and interactions that are essential to learning and development.

A new study that appeared in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine followed roughly 260 lower-income, Spanish speaking families in New York. They found that Watching TV appears to stunt development in babies. In furthering the research with higher-income families much similar results were found.

Many question this study and point to educational shows such as Sesame Street, but researchers could not find substantial positives or negatives when compared to non-educational programs designed for small children, like SpongeBob Square Pants. Also, studies have shown parents who allow their children to watch non-educational shows spend less time reading and teaching.

Read more from this article

Radio Sandy Springs Interview

Admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:15:36 +0000

On February 3, 2010 I was featured on Radio Sandy Springs’ afternoon talk show, Parents Rule with Pat. We discussed, at length, the problem with the amount of time that our children are watching television, playing on the internet and texting rather than having face-to-face conversations. Pat described communicating face-to-face a “lost art” for our younger generations.

The Problem

It was apparent that the explosion of media was affecting our children and there was no tool to help support parents. The recommendation by all medical communities is to limit screen time to 2 hours a day, but when we try and limit time on the internet, video games, and TV, we are viewed as “the bad guy”. This is a serious problem because in the meantime, our children struggle to construct sentences, read body language, make eye contact and more importantly, they isolate themselves from face-to-face interaction with friends and family. This drove us to develop the Mikko Que™.

The Solution

The Mikko Que is an easy-to-use system that enables parents to manage and monitor the amount of time a child spends on a particular entertainment system. The entertainment system is simply connected to a lock box that interrupts video and audio signals. Our product will help teach your children responsible media consumption habits and effective time management skills. Finally, you can put an end to the constant bickering over the time spent watching TV in your household.

Listen to my Radio Sandy Springs interview