HealthyMediaHabits

Healthy Media Habits is a series of five videos created by early childhood media experts, Drs. Roxy Etta and Liz Horgan, for families and childcare providers of children ages 0-5. The videos offer research-based information and guidance on how to manage children’s media use, including tips for boosting the benefits of media and supporting families as they navigate media choices for their kids. The content of this video series is designed to be empowering to parents so that they can be better media guides for their children and feel good about the media choices they make. ​

The videos are 12–15 minutes long. The first four are suited for both parents and child-care providers, while the fifth has two versions, one for family media plans and one for media plans in child-care settings. Each video includes accompanying handouts that can also be used separately.

This video series offers valuable information and resources for anyone who cares for or works with children ages 0–5, including parents, caregivers, childcare providers, early childhood educators, and family support professionals (including parent educators, Head Start staff, home visitors, birth to three providers, and 4k teachers). It can be used in settings like playgroups, parent cafés, home visits, parent nights, and parenting programs.

The vide​os are information-rich and may feel overwhelming for parents, so it's most helpful when the content is shared by those working with the family—either one-on-one or in guided group discussions. To support parents effectively, educators should first become familiar and comfortable with the content of the videos and handouts themselves.

The video series also has an accompanying toolkit​ which contains: