When streaming music for my kids, how can I make sure the content is appropriate?

Michael Rich, MD, MPH

Michael Rich, MD, MPH, is Boston Children’s Hospital’s media expert and director of Boston Children’s Center on Media and Child Health. Send him a media-related parenting question via [e-mail] and follow him on Twitter @CMCH_Boston.
Q: We like to stream music from Pandora for my kids, who are in first and second grade. Pop dance music is fun and upbeat, and my children love it. But there is a big jump in maturity from Laurie Berkner and Kids Bop to Today’s Top Hits. And though there are lots of controls to set for Internet, TV, and movies, I can’t really find any for music. What are my monitoring options for streaming music?
-Mystified by Music
A: Dear Mystified,
Music is wonderful for kids! Whether they sing along or dance to the rhythm, music can engage them in melodies, develop language skills, and encourage them to move with imagination. You can share with them the music you love, and there is excellent music created especially for kids of different ages in terms of message, rhythm, and sing-along-ability.
As with all media, it’s important to be aware of what the songs are communicating, and I applaud you for asking how to manage that with your kids, especially when you want to vary the music they hear by streaming it online. Controlling what they hear is harder to do if you aren’t just playing music that you choose. Streaming music or listening to the radio raises two issues:

There aren’t ratings for music: Unli...

Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - March 3, 2014 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Michael Rich MD MPH Tags: All posts Ask the Mediatrician Media & marketing Music Parenting Source Type: news