Only about three in ten young people say they have rules about how much time they can spend watching TV (28%) or playing video games (30%), and 36% say the same about using the computer.

But when parents do set limits, children spend less time with media: those with any media rules consume nearly 3 hours less media per day than those with no rules.

PositiveTip: Set limits in your family about using media. It works!

A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation offers some very useful information about media use in the home. They report that today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media during a typical day. That is more than 53 hours a week!

PositiveTip: Establish media rules for your home. Your kids will benefit by them!

Watching television is very common among youth, as is computer use, and both of these are related to childhood obesity. The reason for this relationship seems to be two-fold: watching television not only takes away from time when kids would otherwise be physically active, but they also tend to snack while watching TV. Computer use and eating do not usually occur together, but excessive computer use also absorbs significant time when kids should be physically active.

PositiveTip: Observe when your kids usually watch television and use the computer--then plan a routine where you regularly walk or play with them at that time.

Can Internet psychotherapy for depression benefit patients? A randomized, controlled trial conducted in Britain of cognitive-behavorial therapy delivered online in real time to depressed patients resulted in 42% recovery compared to 26% recovery in the traditional treatment group. This method of delivery could broaden access and improve drop-out rates.