More than 80% of abortion vulnerable women choose life after seeing ultrasound
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Dr. Jessica Peck talks about keeping kids safe during play on American family radio
preborn.com/AFR hello and welcome to the
: Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing hope for healthy families here on American F family radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there friends and welcome. Welcome to my favorite day of the week, my favorite time of the day. It is fry. Yay. We are headed into the fall season and wherever you are in the back to school rush, maybe you're going to see kids or grandkids play football or in the marching band or cheer or whatever it is. I hope you're having a great Friday and I'm so, so glad that you are here with us and we're going to talk about keeping those kids safe, whether they're playing football, whether they're cheerleading or playing any other time. If you've been following along since January, every Friday we talk about a healthy habit for healthy families. And we talked about four core spiritual disciplines, rhythms that you need, communication skills. Spent all summer talking about tech habits. And right now we're nearing the end of our safety series and we are talking about how to keep kids safe in the world that they're living in today. And we've talked about tech safety, which is really important because today's play is all tech. We talked about body safety, which is another way of keeping our body safe and, and having abuse prevention. And we talked about sun and water safety. And today we're going to talk about play, keeping our kids safe while they play. Now, that may seem really simplistic, but it's actually a little more complicated and involved than you think it would be. And so matter what age or stage of life you are in, I'm sure you have kids around you who are playing something and we can help to keep them safe. And so for many of us growing up, this is me included in Gen X, we played by just basically running the streets, right? We went outside, our moms told us be back when the street lights came on, there was no Life360. We climbed trees, we jumped off things we probably shouldn't have jumped off of. We drank out of water hoses, just whichever ones we found. Along the way, we explored. We built forts, we came home covered in dirt. That's just how we played. And today our kids really don't play like that. And most of the play that they have happens on a screen. Video games, online world, social media platforms, digital communities. And that's why our previous conversation about tech safety, the first habit that we covered is so important. So if you missed that, go back and listen to that. I already covered that, talked about that. But we also don't want to respond to the dangers of digital play by really eliminating play altogether. Like, oh, you can't play online and you can't play outside. Because kids need now more than ever, I'm convinced they need real world play. That's why I'm a big advocate for summer camping experiences, outdoor unplugged experiences. Kids need this a lot. Play is what helps kids to develop physically and cognitively and socially and emotionally. It is a way that God created for them to develop, to learn and to grow. And it gives them opportunities to move their bodies and keep them healthy, which is really important when we see how long a kid can sit attached To a video game console. It helps them solve problems. It helps them negotiate with other children. Nothing will start a negotiation like who's going to play what role, right? They experience frustration and success. They develop confidence. They learn what they can do. And really, the playground play especially is so, so, so helpful. Do we let kids play without putting them in harm's way? We want them to play but play safely. So how do we let them engage in risk without being too overprotective, but not underprotective either? It's always a pendulum, always a balance that we have. So here's a helpful framework as we go into this. Risk is not the same thing as hazard. So a risk is something that's a developmentally appropriate challenge. We don't want to hold kids back from those. They need to learn how to do things like climb and balance and run and jump and try something new. But a hazard is something that can cause serious harm. It's something that shouldn't be part of the play environment. It shouldn't be part of that developmental challenge. I'm talking about things like, you know, an unsecured piece of equipment or letting a kid operate an adult sized play vehicle, something like that. Now, our goal isn't to create a childhood that's wrapped in bubble wrap. We want to remove those unnecessary hazards while encouraging developmentally appropriate risk. Now, there are a lot more safety guidelines because I know I hear from listeners all the time, hey, I did that and I did just fine. Well, it may not be that, may not be because it was safe, but maybe just because you were fortunate. But there are a lot of things that are different today. Let me give you some perspective. For one thing, we have a lot better evidence. We have more years of recommendations of researchers studying how children are injured. And so we can do a better job at preventing that. And that is really important because we survived. It isn't the same thing as, hey, it was safe. We would all acknowledge that we probably did things that were unsafe, that we survived. But let me tell you, my perspective is going to be skewed because I've been a pediatric nurse for three decades and I've worked in children's hospitals and level one trauma centers. And it is always so, so, so tragic and so sad when I see kids who come in who are injured, even to the point of losing their lives over preventable injuries. So it' easy to say, you know, okay, yeah, it should be okay. But when it's not okay, it's really, really not okay. And I have been there way more times than I care to admit. And it does happen. We also know from research now that safety measures work really, really well. So, for example, let me give you one specific example. Wearing a. An appropriate child restraint, whether that's a car seat, a booster, a seat belt, in the right way, it reduces children's crash injury risk by about 80%. That is really, really significant. And that's not overprotection. That's just smart prevention that works. We've also gotten better at seeing injuries that used to be considered just accidents. Like, we see some things that are predictable and preventable, and that's great. We know what is preventable. kids haven't changed much. Kids are still kids, but their learning environment has. So a child may have the same curiosity, the same impulsivity as, you know, maybe we did growing up decades ago. But today's kids are encountering much faster play vehicles, heavier recreational equipment. They've got E bikes and e scooters and power tools and pools that are different from when we were growing up, and trampolines and other technologies that just didn't exist. So that is different. And that. So that equipment is changed. A bike isn't just a bike.
We also want to give our kids time for unstructured play
It's faster, it's heavier, it's more powerful. And we know now more, too, about the consequences of head injuries, things that we would just laugh off before we know that actually can cause really significant impairment even later in life. So the goal isn't to eliminate risk. The goal is to have smart prevention. We don't want to have zero risk, but we want to be smart. We want to let them play, but we want them to be safe about it. That is really important because one of the things that happens when kids first start growing up, they're. What they want to do, what they're capable of doing is a lot more, dangerous than what they really should be doing. And sometimes, you know, they can access something to climb on, but they don't have the coordination, the balance, the strength to really be able to safely do that. So we want to give them closer supervision. We also want to give our kids time for unstructured play. Kids have so much less of that these days. They either have parents who are engaged in playing, which is great, and that should definitely be happening, or the alternative is they're just staring at a screen for hours and hours, but they need time to be creative. And yes, this means it's messy. And yes, this means that it's silly. And it means that maybe you're going to have to clean up a blanket for it or wipe some finger paint off the wall or something like that. But we've got to give kids room for unstructured play, to give them opportunities to make decisions and to solve problems and to develop those social skills where they are playing. That is really. So I, you know, like I said, I, I know that we can think, oh, well, I did this and this was okay, but you really just gotta think, okay, these are the children that God has entrusted to you to steward. And how can we be smart, how can we not take the adventure out of childhood but just take out that preventable tragedy? That's what we want to have.
Some common injuries that kids can get when they're playing are falling, sprains, strains, fractures
Now some common injuries that kids can get when they are, when they're playing are falling is really big. Sprains, strains, fractures. I've seen these all the time. I see kids who fracture their leg going down a slide and just cuts, abrasions, head injuries, burns from playground surfaces, injuries from collisions. I mean there's all kinds of preventable injuries. So things that we should be thinking are, okay, is this activity developmentally appropriate for this kid? Is the equipment appropriate for their age, for their size, for their developmental ability? Is there any preventable hazard here? Anything that should be removed, anything that should be taken away to make it more safe? And if something goes wrong, okay, how, how big is this risk here? That's, that's much more useful than saying like, is this dangerous? Like be really practical in what you're looking at.
American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its policy statement on the role of recess
Now one of the things I want to tell you and bring you right up front is a home front headline. This was something I was really happy to see. from the American Academy of Pediatrics. They recently updated their policy statement on the role of recess. Now we see a lot of increased emphasis on academic health and kids don't have as much time for phys play. And that is not great for kids. They need to be well rounded. They cannot sit for hours and hours and hours and absorb academic material. And so I was really happy to see this updated. It actually hadn't been updated since 2013 was Ah, the last major revision I believe. And when we look at it we see that they say it shouldn't be just free time. It's not a reward after academics. It's just an important foundational part of healthy child development. And that is really important. I remember one my, one of my sons who was just, you know, just does not like to be cooped up in a classroom. He's very adventurous and I remember asking him what he learned on the first day of school. And he said, when the little hand on the clock is on the 10 and the big hand is on the 6, I get to go outside. That's basically what I learned. Kids just aren't designed to sit and listen and produce academically all day long. They need time for unstructured play through recess and, and weather and, and then they need it when they get home too, or when they finish their school day, wherever they are. That is really important. So I was happy to see that emphasized. When we're looking at. Now, one of the biggest questions that I get are really, what I call the big four. These are the big four play structures. I get questions about trampolines, ATVs, golf carts, and micro mobility tools. So we'll talk about what those are. First, let's talk about trampoline. Now, this is one where the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation may surprise you. They actually recommend no home. No trampolines, especially home trampolines. And that is a hard thing. I know, I know a lot of you out there have a trampoline. I'm just telling you what the guidance is. And I'm just telling you with experience of having been a nurse who worked in an emergency room, we see fractures and sprains and concussions and head and neck injuries, spinal injuries. There's. It's. Trampolines are really a very high risk endeavor. And especially when you have multiple children jumping together, that increases the collision and the double bounce injuries and especially flips and somersaults before they're really trained to do that or, developmentally ready to do that. That increases the risk of those head and neck and spinal injuries. Now, a lot of people will tell me, well, we have a safety net on ours now. It doesn't eliminate the risk because some of those injuries just occur on the trampoline itself. And I have seen really tragic outcomes of kids trying to climb over the netting and getting caught up in that. And even in ground still, you can have, that may be safer, but safer doesn't mean safe. So it's. So that's something that you should really think about. Talk to your primary care provider about what is going to be best for you and make sure that if they're there, there's always supervision. Now, ATVs are also really popular, but the guidance there is also very clear. And the guidance is children under 16 should not operate ATVs. Now that doesn't mean that when they're 16, all of a sudden they can, because we have a wildly different progression through puberty. And you could have a one 16 year old who is pretty small and you know, not, not hit that peak of growth velocity yet. Or you could have a 16 year old that's basically like a grownup. But ATVs are really heavy things that require a lot of strength and balance and rapid decision making which often they don't have experience for, especially if they don't have a driver's license. They need mature judgment and they need the physical ability to handle that heavy powerful machine. And an adult size atv, you're talking about hundreds of pound and pretty high speed. So the recommendation, the just blanket starting place is no ATV operation for kids, under 16 and avoid it for younger kids even if they're riding with somebody else. But that is if you do use it, you're over 16 or you're an adult, you should use a Department of Transportation approved motorcycle style helmet and avoid those public roads. That is really important to talk about that and not to underestimate their ability and put them on a vehicle that they're really not prepared to be able to handle. Again, it just, it breaks my heart to think of the preventable tragedies that I have seen there. But when we come back, we're going to talk about how we can keep our kids safe, tell you about golf carts and I'm really going to tell you a lot about these e bikes and e scooters because they are a popular talking point for everybody. Neighborhood social media page, we'll talk about that and how we can help our kids stay safe from viral trends that have to do with play. I'll be right back after this break.
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Come To Jesus by Kristian Stanfill: If you bought what they sold you just to find out the world only good at letting you down Come to Jesus M if the well that you draw from keeps running dry and the water you're drinking won't satisfy Come to Jesus Come to Jesus There's room for us all at the foot of the cross where perfect love every prodigal cost the Savior is waiting with arms open wide so leave what's behind you behind Come to Jesus Come to Jesus
Dr. Jessica Peck: welcome back friends. That is Come to Jesus by Kristian Stanfill And I hope wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you're having a great Friday. Thanks for joining us on this Friday. We're talking about keeping our kids safe and how we do that during play. And I'm talking about some of the new ways that the play landscape has changed for children and how we can be wise stewards of their safety and help them to embrace adventure and to learn and to grow, but also to be safe.
Golf carts can create a false sense of security because it just seems so sedate
And I was just about to talk about golf carts. This is another really popular thing I know I get a lot of questions about. And they can create a false sense of security because it just seems so sedate. You know, when you watch golf on tv, it's probably the calmest sport. Everyone's quiet and you drive the golf cart and it just seems so risk free. But they are still motorized vehicles and crashes and rollovers and falls from being and injuries from getting struck by a vehicle, they still do occur. And especially when we've got kids who don't have experience driving, who don't have really mature judgment, the rules should be set very clear. Make sure you know your city or county or ordinance, that may govern golf cart usage. So that is something important to know. Make sure you just use good sense. Everyone sits still. You don't pile people on. Keep your hands, your arms, your legs inside all of those things. And really all kids should always be supervised. That is really important. You might also want to check for recalls on the specific golf cart that you're using because sometimes they issue there are new recalls that are issued involving crash hazards or, or break failures or things like that. So that's important thing to do.
American Academy of Pediatrics recently noted a significant rise in serious pediatric E bike injuries
But probably the most contentious issue of play in a neighborhood today is E bikes and E scooters. And this is one of the fastest changing areas of pediatric injury prevention because again, an E bike sounds like a bike and it's just not a bicycle with an extra help. It's faster, it's heavier, it's more powerful, sometimes much more powerful. And it's a lot more difficult to control than a traditional bicycle. And so the American Academy of Pediatrics recent guidance really has noted a significant rise in serious pediatric E bike injuries. If you don't believe me, talk to any healthcare professional who works in an emergency room. If you even say E bike, I promise you, if you don't have a soapbox out, they will find one. They will bring it out, they will tell you about this because they're seeing a lot of injuries. I see that in my Students and my colleagues. And the recommendation is that for children ages 12 to 15, you should only consider a Class 1e bike if the child is ready, and kids under 12 shouldn't use them. Now what is that? I'll tell you in just a minute here. But for E bikes, you really want to have a properly fitted helmet every ride, make sure that they train with somebody and they have some supervision before they're allowed to ride independently. Start with the lower speed models, follow your local laws, and no passengers. I know we used to do that. I used to have a, you know, banana was the banana handlebars and Pete, my brothers and sisters, ride on those. That is not a good idea at all. Another thing to really talk to your kids about when they are outside, whether they're walking or they're on traditional bikes or E bikes or scooters, is not to have earbuds or headphones, or AirPods or any kind of listening device in while they are walking or using those vehicles. They may not hear a car approaching. They may not hear a strange dog or animal approaching. They might not hear somebody yelling out, a warning to them. It's really important to make sure that they're fully aware and that they're not just tuned out, especially some of the newer models of headphones. They are noise canceling. So you don't hear anything on the outside. So that's important. Think about the traffic exposure that the kid will have. You know, there's different paths and different, there's some places that are just safer to ride than others. And the, scooters are different, though. E scooters are different. And the guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics on that is actually that children under 16 should not operate or ride a motorized or E scooter. And for any, for any wheeled activity anytime, you should always be wearing a helmet. So let's talk, let's talk a little bit more about E bikes and E scooters. Let me give you some more specific guidance. when you're thinking, okay, can my kid ride an E bike? You need to think, okay, can they physically control this machine, this machine? Can they safely stop? Can they stop, start? Can they turn? Can they react quickly when a car, a pedestrian, a dog, a toddler suddenly appears? And are they following the rules? Are they trustworthy? Do they recognize hazards before they're immediately in front of them? And a kid who really good traditional bike rider may not be automatically ready to transition to an E bike. So that is important. Now, those E bike classes That I told you there's actually different classes of E bikes. And so sometimes I think parents may go to the store and they think, oh, I'm just buying an E bike. all E bikes are the same. But that's actually not true. There's three classes, and I'm speaking really generally here, but there's three classes of E bikes. And class one is a pedal assist only. It's just the motor helps while you pedal up to 20 miles per hour. A Class 2 is motor assisted up to 20 and it can use a throttle without pedaling. And class three is pedal assists up to 28 miles per hour. Now if you're riding that, that's actually a lot faster than you think that it would be. So again, that AAP recommendation is only Class 1E bikes for kids ages 12 to 15 who are developmentally ready. And kids under 12 shouldn't ride E bikes. So that is important. As you're thinking about even already now, your holiday shopping, start thinking about that and talk to your kids primary care provider and ask them for more guidance. That's really important. But if you get them one and they are developmentally ready, they are of age, make sure that you help them practice. Help them start and stop and break and turn and look over their shoulder and avoid obstacles and control speed. Give them some scenarios that they can practice there. Teach how to break, make sure they're wearing their helmet every single ride, that they're not letting anybody else jump onto the bike with them, that they're not using their phones or their headphones. All and they're following the local law. That's important. Kids also need to know how to inspect their E bike before every ride. Check the brakes and the tires and the handlebars and the lights and the cable and the frame. They need to know how to take care of what they're riding. Now, for E scooters, as I said, this is more caution. So the recommendation is nobody under 16 should ride an E scooter. Now, one of the things that makes them more dangerous than a bike that maybe you wouldn't think about is this. E scooters have much smaller wheels than a bike. So you can imagine if you're riding along on an E scooter and you're going at a pretty good clip, clip, a little crack in the sidewalk, a little bit of gravel hitting a curb, some uneven pavement, it can stop that front wheel abruptly and it throws the rider up over it. That's, that's a really specific hazard that can happen. And so that's something, to, to watch for. So think about that.
Another safety issue with E bikes and E scooters is actually the battery
Another safety issue with E bikes and E scooters is actually the battery. Because that's a really big distinction between what we recreational equipment that we have today and what generations before have experienced. I didn't have hardly any electronic toys when I was growing up, but almost all toys are electronic. But lithium ion batteries can be a fire hazard. And so there are some things that kids need to know about using, the battery safely and watching that. So you want to use the manufacturer's charger. Make sure you use only the charger that comes with the manufacturer because using another charger can increase the risk of fire. Don't use a damaged battery, don't use an incompatible replacement battery. Charge it only while you're observing it and while there's an adult present, you know, at the home, on the property. Don't charge it overnight while everybody is sleeping and follow those manufacturer instructions for charging and storage and pay attention again to those recalls and safety warnings. That is really important. And so, you know, if we remember riding our bikes and just taking off and not having life 360, we didn't have an E bike that was going, you know, much faster than a traditional bike with a lithium ion battery attached. And that is, that's a really important thing to think about.
Kids today, they do need some degree of safe supervision
And so kids today, they do need some degree of safe supervision. And when we hear that word supervision, we, we don't know, you know, what exactly is that. That means knowing what your kids are doing, knowing what equipment they're using in what environment they're using and being close enough to intervene when it's appropriate, understanding their developmental abilities and anticipating what could go wrong. Sometimes kids need direct, continuous supervision. We talked about that. Anytime they're around water, they need eyes on and sometimes within arm's reach. Sometimes for older kids it's going to, you're going to have looser parameters there. A 3 year old and a 13 year old are going to be really different. There's, but really we want to make sure that kids are thinking about their safety and thinking, okay, am I giving them equipment that's appropriate for their age and size and developmental level? Am I setting them up for success here? And this thinking about, you know, just the environment that's around. Are there a lot of cars or traffic where you live? Are there pools that they could, or bodies of water that they could encounter their animals? I mean, I live in Texas. If you go out and play outside and you are, you know, know, anywhere not out of the neighborhood you could possibly encounter a coyote. That is not impossible. I have actually encountered a coyote once when I was walking in my neighborhood. That can happen. So thinking about those things, think through those things and help them to think through that is really, important. Not so they'll be afraid, but the so they'll be equipped and empowered for that. Because safety isn't about creating a childhood without risk. Kids need to climb and they need to run and they need to get dirty and sometimes they need to fall and rol around on the grass. They need to try things that are a little challenging. They need to discover what they can do. But there's a difference between appropriate developmental risk and allowing an unnecessary hazard. So we want to have freedom with boundaries, opportunities to explore the world safely. That is really important. So if you're looking for any more evidence based guidance, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Healthy Children.org It's HealthyChildren.org, this is the website that has an extensive at play safety resource. And it covers all kinds of things that you can look at and I encourage you as families to play together, with your kids. Kids need play. They need us to laugh. They need to have moments of connection. They need that support for their mental health. They need to build their communication skills. And games will absolutely do that. And when we play together, it creates a sense of belonging. Like, hey, my family actually enjoys being with me. I can make my parents, my grandparents, my siblings laugh. They're not just managing me, they're not just supervising me, they're not just dragging me around town. They actually enjoy being with me. And those are the memories that you want them to have and creating those opportunities for discipleship.
There are a lot of trends that can come online without adequate adult supervision
Now what we see a lot of times is kids because they are playing so much online or they have so much online exposure. There are a lot of trends that can come online that kids will try without adequate adult supervision. And sometimes even when we think we are adequately supervising them, and we often tell our kids, hey, don't do that, be safe. We just tell them, be safe, be safe, be safe. Like, they don't know what that means. They don't know exactly what that means. Their version of safe, I'm telling you, is way different than our version of safe. And what there's sometimes that it happens that a dangerous idea doesn't come from their sibling or their friend or the neighborhood playground. It comes from a video that has gone viral that has reached millions of children that looks really exciting and enticing.
A viral social media trend about sensory toys has health professionals concerned
So I want to talk Specifically about one particular viral social media trend involving, this one, this particular news story was about neato sensory toys. But there are a lot of other, brands and, and things that, that apply to that. And this has health professionals warning families about potentially serious burn injuries because that's bigger than one squishy toy. It's about how kids encounter risk in the digital age and how social media very rapidly normalizes this online behavior. So we've got to teach kids to pause first before they, they just jump on to do the viral trend and, and how we respond to that. So that's really important to, to do. So when we're looking at this, at this trend, what we see is that kids are heating up this toy in the microwave and then it is, it hurts them, it burns them, actually, really, really seriously, that happens. So that, that's what happens with a toy and why they're microwaving it. You know, I could really tell you what they're looking at, but it doesn't really make sense. And we see some reports and some very serious injuries and burns that can happen to that. And we see that scalding injuries are already the leading cause of burn injuries in children. Hot gel especially, it can leak, it can burst, and it can explode. And then especially when you have a gel like material, here's the thing, it sticks to a kid's skin and it's, a very, very difficult to get off. It continues to burn them. And that is really important, important. So we want to make sure that kids are not, a lot of times they have access to a microwave, that they're not heating up toys that don't need to be heated up or freezing or even leaving them in a hot environment like a car car in summer. Heat can be really, really hot. And this matters because the Internet can turn a bad idea into a really enticing experiment really, really quickly. And it's. We can, we can't fault kids for making a poor decision when they were really set up for failure. And that and, and the marketing and the exposure and have that. And the difference between yesteryear and now is the speed at which this decision, this poor decision can happen, the scale at which it can happen, because we have a lot more powerful products and the social reinforcement of those decisions.
We'll talk about some viral trends that kids might jump onto online
So we're going to talk about some viral trends that kids might jump onto online and why they see something that seems so dangerous, but they see other kids doing it and they just are gonna do it because they're developing judgment, they're developing impulse control. They weren't intended to grow up in the, exposure of online. Kids have underdeveloped judgment and character to handle the over exposure that happens online. And they see and they really do think everybody, everyone's doing it. Hey, if this video has millions of views, it must be credible, right? So you see something repeatedly, it just feels normal. And that video may make it seem like it's dangerous, but it's just, it's not that normal. So when we come back, we'll talk about how social media has changed the way that these risky behaviors spread. And I'll also talk about some, cheerleading injuries and, and some good news that we're seeing there in that I'll see you right after this break.
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Fight On My Knees by Evan Craft: somebody's been praying for this very moment. Feels like a whisper. buddy, in heaven is love. Oh, don't give up. Don't give up on the ones you love. Oh, just a little faith is enough help me to remember my help comes from heaven God, when I surrender I find all I need strength in every week yes, in the name of Jesus always find a secret I find on my knees I fight on my knees.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is Fight on My Knees by Evan Craft. Thanks for joining us this Friday. Wherever you are, wherever you're going to, wherever you're headed to, I pray that you are headed into a blessed weekend. And we're talking today on this Friday about how to keep our kids safe when they're playing. Now, I don't want this conversation to leave people thinking oh, all of these dangers around, our kids can't have any fun anymore. That is not the message really. We see some of these exciting new play opportunities and some of the steady old ones that provide things like transportation and exercise and independence and recreation and just plain fun. Fun. But freedom and play really works best when it is also paired with responsibility. We don't want to just give our kids the keys or the handlebars or whatever it is and just say, hey, be careful, be safe out there. Be, be safe. Don't do anything dumb because they don't know what that is. Our job is to prepare them very specifically to take the time to teach them how to break, how to recognize hazards, how to follow the rules of the road, that a helmet isn't optional, that a phone can wait, that being capable of going fast doesn't mean that you should. And because when it comes to our kids, we're not trying to eliminate every risk. We're just trying to make sure they're developmentally ready for the risks that we are allowing them to take. And I am seeing again, you know, going back to the E bikes and E scooters, I see that even in my own community, not too long ago I was going to, to pick up food from to go place. And these boys, they had to be 10 or 11 years old on E bikes. They were just going through the drive through on these little E bikes over and over and over again. And the poor workers, oh my goodness, they were trying to be so patient but they were really worried because the drive thru is not a safe place for an E bike for sure. And a lot of times, you know, we, we just have this pendulum always swinging like, hey, I'm not gonna micromanage my kids and let them just play in a bubble. But we also have to be wise. That is really important. Now we can't come at any of these things, viral trends or electronic vehicles or electronic games online with a fear based strategy because fear might get their attention. And so that feels good to you in the moment because you feel like, okay, I see the whites of their eyes. I see them wide eyed. I've got them where I want them. They're listening, they're paying attention. Attention. But it doesn't build judgment. And we know that from research that fear is very effective in creating fear. Fear based tactics do create fear, but they don't change behavior. So a frightening story can make a child feel afraid in that moment, but it doesn't equip them to make a safe decision the next time. Kids learn what we do way more than they learn what we say. So if we're telling them, them, wear your helmet, wear your seat belt. We don't wear a helmet. We don't wear a seat belt. They absorb. The lesson they're absorbing is that, hey, the helmets are for kids. Not. Not for people who understand risk. Like, it's just understanding risk prevention. Because safety is going to become a family culture when everybody participates. So that is really important. These safety rules shouldn't just be for kids. They should be family rules. You want to model the behavior you want before you demand that your kids do it. Put your phone away while you're driving. And when it comes to safety, what you can do is give your kids permission to respectfully call you out and say, hey, this is a family safety rule. Nobody should be on their phone while they're driving. And let me tell you, when you give your kids the opportunity to call you out, they will do it. You have to help teach them how to do it respectfully. But it really is a good accountability measure. And explain the why with. Without just making everything a catastrophe. So, like, we know usually what we're going to say is, hey, if you don't wear your helmet, you could hit your head and you could die. That's not. We want to say, hey, your brain is important. And when you are not wearing a helmet, your brain is at great risk, not just today, but for the rest of your life. And it is so important that you wear a helmet to protect your brain so that you can do all of those things that you want to do as you're growing and learning. And. And we also want to use mistakes, lapses in safety as a teaching moment, not a shame moment. If they forget to wear their helmet or they forget to put on their seatbelt, you don't say, how could you? You just say, hey, oh, this is important. I see that you forgot that. Let's. Let's pay attention to that safety rule. That's really important, because our kids don't need us to make them afraid of danger. They are already plenty afraid of plenty of things. And usually they're afraid of the wrong things and they're not afraid of the right things. So they need us to teach them how to recognize risk. Risk and to change their behavior accordingly. That is really important to do. And so when we go back to these viral trends that I was talking about before the break, really the disturbing part of these stories that happen, and you can look at any number of headlines that talk about viral trends, it can be the, the TikTok door knock trend where you know, you go up to somebody's house in the middle of the night and you bang on their door when. Well that is definitely not a safe thing to do. We also saw this happen during Pokemon Go and people would chase Pokemons into private property and in places that weren't, that were dangerous. There's all kinds of viral trends that you can look at. But again, the difference in today's viral trends is the speed and the scale and the social reinforcement of those, of those decisions that kids are making. Because again, kids have developing judgment judgment. They have very poor impulse control. And if you're really honest and you think back to when you were young, somebody says like hey, let's try this and you think, oh that's a terrible idea, I'm in, let's go. You know, when you do it, they have, they're very impulsive and so especially when you're seeing something online, we're seeing that they have difficulty understanding the consequences, especially if it's delayed, especially if they don't see that consequence right away. Way. And just seeing it really makes it feel normal. So we need to teach our kids and give them some decision making tools and a framework for what they see. So when they see something that's viral and that's really popular, we can say okay, it seems like everybody's doing it, but is it really safe? What could happen to you if you do this? Is, is this what the product was designed and intended for? Are you using it for something that it was not designed and intended for? For? Could someone get hurt doing this? Is, is the person, is this video that I'm seeing or am I only seeing the fun part and not the consequences? What, what do I do? Would I do this if I hadn't even seen it online? And should I ask an adult before trying it? This is something that you should see. Really be talking to your kids and grandkids about. Say you're going to see all kinds of things online. Ask me, ask me about it and we can find a safe way, way to participate whenever that's possible. Be open minded about helping your kids experiment and have fun. But it may need a modification. So that's really important because a kid can watch something on a screen and it can be a moment of play and all of a sudden they're in a really dangerous stunt or they're experimenting with something that's really unsafe. And that is, that's really important because the, that boundary between online Safety and physical safety has basically disappear because kids see something and they try it immediately. That's really important. So when we talk about it, we need to teach our kids to pause because we cannot possibly, as adults, monitor every dangerous trend that appears. There is always a new dangerous trend. And some of those, you know, that we've seen, are really difficult. The danger isn't always the trend itself. It is that imitation. Because kids may see only that 10 seconds of fun and not the emergency room that follows behind it. Or they see a video where it doesn't look like anybody was harmed, it looks like it was safe, it looks like it was fun because people are laughing, people are sharing it. But a million views is not a million safety endorsements.
Some recent viral trends have caused real harm to children
So let me give you some examples of some of the more recent viral trends that have caused real harm. And some of these I know if you haven't heard them, you'll probably scratch your head and think, what now? Like kids do what now? But again, we have to recognize that they're designed to have limited mature thinking and we need to meet them where they are. One was the Tide Pod challenge. So teens actually filmed themselves eating laundry detergent pods. why we, we could, we could not really come up with a good reason why. It just, it gets views, it gets likes. But detergent exposure, especially concentrated like that, it can really be surprisingly harmful. And so this wasn't a new toxic substance. It was an existing household product that being used inappropriately for social media attention. So that's something. But people hop on the trend. People hopped on the trend of a Benadryl challenge where they intentionally took excessive amounts of an over the counter antihistamine, diphenhydramine to experience hallucinations. But kids don't know that can cause heart problems and seizures and coma and even death. And so that the family lesson that comes out of that is medications or medications, even if they're over the counter counter, even if they're supplement, even if they're a vitamin. There's other trends like NyQuil Chicken or Sleepy Chicken videos that encourage cooking chicken in, in cold medication. I know, I mean again we, we look at this, but these are things that, that can happen. We saw also one of the concerning ones to me, the most concerning, although they're all concerning to some extent as a blackout or choking challenge where kids intentionally restrict their own breathing or our blood flow. And these aren't just harmless challenges. Another one that was really popular, the one chip challenge where participants ate a really super ridiculously spicy Tortilla chip and then, or some kind of chip and they filmed their reaction. But that actually can cause really big safety concerns. And like I've told you, the microwaved, like the heated, microwave heating of the gel filled sensory toys is really dangerous. So don't wait for the headline to come have the conversation. Now you don't have to list every dangerous challenge. You don't have to say, okay, you're not eating laundry detergent pods, are you? Right, you just want to establish a family rule about challenges. A simple family rule. Hey, if you see a challenge online that involves doing anything unusual, dangerous, painful, ingesting something, taking medicine differently, restricting your breathing, heating something, hurting something, someone, anything that seems out of the normal of what we would do every day you stop and ask us first. You come and ask an adult. So teaching them the power of that pause is so important. Don't initiate immediately ask what could go wrong and is this what that product or activity was designed for? But mainly you want to teach them to ask an adult before you try any challenge that you see, see or hear about. Because sometimes they're not even seeing it, they're just hearing about it online. That is really important to do. We also need to make our homes safe to tell environment. So they need to be able to say, hey, I saw this really weird challenge. Are, these kids were talking about a weird challenge at school. So we don't immediately panic and say, stay away from those people. Give me your phone. We start with, I'm so glad you trusted me enough to tell me. Thank you so much for coming to me. We will figure this out together. Show me what you saw, tell me exactly what you heard. But the first thing we say is thank you for trusting me to come to me with this. That was a great decision. And we give them that immediate feedback loop and then talk with them about it. Having that open communication to see like, okay, is this wise? Is this not wise? What should we do? And if you find out that your kid already did it, they participated in something that was dangerous, a vile trait trend. The important thing is to stay calm. Your child's first priority is, is getting help and, and not, not avoiding punishment. They should want to come to you as a source of help. So that's important. So you want to address whatever may have happened that may be calling 911 or Poison Control if they've ingested something, or seeking medical attention if, if that has already happened, but if, if that hasn't happened and thank goodness that everything is seems to be okay. Okay, really talk about that. Once you address the immediate danger, just say, okay, what made this seem like a good idea? What guardrails do we need to put up to help you to be more supported in your decision making? Not what were you thinking? Because the truth is they weren't thinking. We cannot assume, oh, my kid would never do that. My kid would, would never make that bad decision. But they may be just curious or trying to fit in or trying to make their friends look laugh or trying to get followers like they've seen other people do online, trying to impress someone. They're just feeling like they're missing out or they're just unaware of the danger. We need to talk about those things and make sure we're talking about it before it happens. Just make a simple rule. Hey, no challenges in our house. Without asking first. I told you before I ended I would tell you something about cheerleading. I would. Cheerleading is often overlooked as a sport. But a new, new research study that came out looked at 16,000 cheerleading related in emer emergency department injury records. So 16,000 cheerleaders who went to the ER. That's a lot of cheerleaders by the way. And between 6 and 18. And this was over almost a 20 year period. And about 15% of those injuries were closed head injuries. But what they saw was that in 2012 there was a specific move called the double down maneuver. Maneuver, it's a 720 degree twisting dismount, which I can't even imagine that was banned. And they did see that that has actually significantly reduced the amount of head injuries in cheerleading. And so even looking at just what are your kids doing? How can we help them just be the safest that we can. I'm so grateful for all of the research out there, researchers out there who are doing this work, anybody who's involved in child safety, thank you for what you're doing. I encourage you to get out there and play with your kids this weekend. Play with your family, whether your grandparents, playing with your grandkids or whatever it is you're doing. I hope that you play together and have a good time and that you stay safe. And as you do, I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. And I'll see you right back here next time. We'd like to thank our sponsors including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion. And every day their network clinics rescue 200 babies lives. Will you join PreBorn in loving and supporting young moms in crisis? Save a life today. Go to preborn.com/AFR the views and
Jeff Chamblee: opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
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Dr. Jessica Peck talks about keeping kids safe during play on American family radio
preborn.com/AFR hello and welcome to the
: Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing hope for healthy families here on American F family radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there friends and welcome. Welcome to my favorite day of the week, my favorite time of the day. It is fry. Yay. We are headed into the fall season and wherever you are in the back to school rush, maybe you're going to see kids or grandkids play football or in the marching band or cheer or whatever it is. I hope you're having a great Friday and I'm so, so glad that you are here with us and we're going to talk about keeping those kids safe, whether they're playing football, whether they're cheerleading or playing any other time. If you've been following along since January, every Friday we talk about a healthy habit for healthy families. And we talked about four core spiritual disciplines, rhythms that you need, communication skills. Spent all summer talking about tech habits. And right now we're nearing the end of our safety series and we are talking about how to keep kids safe in the world that they're living in today. And we've talked about tech safety, which is really important because today's play is all tech. We talked about body safety, which is another way of keeping our body safe and, and having abuse prevention. And we talked about sun and water safety. And today we're going to talk about play, keeping our kids safe while they play. Now, that may seem really simplistic, but it's actually a little more complicated and involved than you think it would be. And so matter what age or stage of life you are in, I'm sure you have kids around you who are playing something and we can help to keep them safe. And so for many of us growing up, this is me included in Gen X, we played by just basically running the streets, right? We went outside, our moms told us be back when the street lights came on, there was no Life360. We climbed trees, we jumped off things we probably shouldn't have jumped off of. We drank out of water hoses, just whichever ones we found. Along the way, we explored. We built forts, we came home covered in dirt. That's just how we played. And today our kids really don't play like that. And most of the play that they have happens on a screen. Video games, online world, social media platforms, digital communities. And that's why our previous conversation about tech safety, the first habit that we covered is so important. So if you missed that, go back and listen to that. I already covered that, talked about that. But we also don't want to respond to the dangers of digital play by really eliminating play altogether. Like, oh, you can't play online and you can't play outside. Because kids need now more than ever, I'm convinced they need real world play. That's why I'm a big advocate for summer camping experiences, outdoor unplugged experiences. Kids need this a lot. Play is what helps kids to develop physically and cognitively and socially and emotionally. It is a way that God created for them to develop, to learn and to grow. And it gives them opportunities to move their bodies and keep them healthy, which is really important when we see how long a kid can sit attached To a video game console. It helps them solve problems. It helps them negotiate with other children. Nothing will start a negotiation like who's going to play what role, right? They experience frustration and success. They develop confidence. They learn what they can do. And really, the playground play especially is so, so, so helpful. Do we let kids play without putting them in harm's way? We want them to play but play safely. So how do we let them engage in risk without being too overprotective, but not underprotective either? It's always a pendulum, always a balance that we have. So here's a helpful framework as we go into this. Risk is not the same thing as hazard. So a risk is something that's a developmentally appropriate challenge. We don't want to hold kids back from those. They need to learn how to do things like climb and balance and run and jump and try something new. But a hazard is something that can cause serious harm. It's something that shouldn't be part of the play environment. It shouldn't be part of that developmental challenge. I'm talking about things like, you know, an unsecured piece of equipment or letting a kid operate an adult sized play vehicle, something like that. Now, our goal isn't to create a childhood that's wrapped in bubble wrap. We want to remove those unnecessary hazards while encouraging developmentally appropriate risk. Now, there are a lot more safety guidelines because I know I hear from listeners all the time, hey, I did that and I did just fine. Well, it may not be that, may not be because it was safe, but maybe just because you were fortunate. But there are a lot of things that are different today. Let me give you some perspective. For one thing, we have a lot better evidence. We have more years of recommendations of researchers studying how children are injured. And so we can do a better job at preventing that. And that is really important because we survived. It isn't the same thing as, hey, it was safe. We would all acknowledge that we probably did things that were unsafe, that we survived. But let me tell you, my perspective is going to be skewed because I've been a pediatric nurse for three decades and I've worked in children's hospitals and level one trauma centers. And it is always so, so, so tragic and so sad when I see kids who come in who are injured, even to the point of losing their lives over preventable injuries. So it' easy to say, you know, okay, yeah, it should be okay. But when it's not okay, it's really, really not okay. And I have been there way more times than I care to admit. And it does happen. We also know from research now that safety measures work really, really well. So, for example, let me give you one specific example. Wearing a. An appropriate child restraint, whether that's a car seat, a booster, a seat belt, in the right way, it reduces children's crash injury risk by about 80%. That is really, really significant. And that's not overprotection. That's just smart prevention that works. We've also gotten better at seeing injuries that used to be considered just accidents. Like, we see some things that are predictable and preventable, and that's great. We know what is preventable. kids haven't changed much. Kids are still kids, but their learning environment has. So a child may have the same curiosity, the same impulsivity as, you know, maybe we did growing up decades ago. But today's kids are encountering much faster play vehicles, heavier recreational equipment. They've got E bikes and e scooters and power tools and pools that are different from when we were growing up, and trampolines and other technologies that just didn't exist. So that is different. And that. So that equipment is changed. A bike isn't just a bike.
We also want to give our kids time for unstructured play
It's faster, it's heavier, it's more powerful. And we know now more, too, about the consequences of head injuries, things that we would just laugh off before we know that actually can cause really significant impairment even later in life. So the goal isn't to eliminate risk. The goal is to have smart prevention. We don't want to have zero risk, but we want to be smart. We want to let them play, but we want them to be safe about it. That is really important because one of the things that happens when kids first start growing up, they're. What they want to do, what they're capable of doing is a lot more, dangerous than what they really should be doing. And sometimes, you know, they can access something to climb on, but they don't have the coordination, the balance, the strength to really be able to safely do that. So we want to give them closer supervision. We also want to give our kids time for unstructured play. Kids have so much less of that these days. They either have parents who are engaged in playing, which is great, and that should definitely be happening, or the alternative is they're just staring at a screen for hours and hours, but they need time to be creative. And yes, this means it's messy. And yes, this means that it's silly. And it means that maybe you're going to have to clean up a blanket for it or wipe some finger paint off the wall or something like that. But we've got to give kids room for unstructured play, to give them opportunities to make decisions and to solve problems and to develop those social skills where they are playing. That is really. So I, you know, like I said, I, I know that we can think, oh, well, I did this and this was okay, but you really just gotta think, okay, these are the children that God has entrusted to you to steward. And how can we be smart, how can we not take the adventure out of childhood but just take out that preventable tragedy? That's what we want to have.
Some common injuries that kids can get when they're playing are falling, sprains, strains, fractures
Now some common injuries that kids can get when they are, when they're playing are falling is really big. Sprains, strains, fractures. I've seen these all the time. I see kids who fracture their leg going down a slide and just cuts, abrasions, head injuries, burns from playground surfaces, injuries from collisions. I mean there's all kinds of preventable injuries. So things that we should be thinking are, okay, is this activity developmentally appropriate for this kid? Is the equipment appropriate for their age, for their size, for their developmental ability? Is there any preventable hazard here? Anything that should be removed, anything that should be taken away to make it more safe? And if something goes wrong, okay, how, how big is this risk here? That's, that's much more useful than saying like, is this dangerous? Like be really practical in what you're looking at.
American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its policy statement on the role of recess
Now one of the things I want to tell you and bring you right up front is a home front headline. This was something I was really happy to see. from the American Academy of Pediatrics. They recently updated their policy statement on the role of recess. Now we see a lot of increased emphasis on academic health and kids don't have as much time for phys play. And that is not great for kids. They need to be well rounded. They cannot sit for hours and hours and hours and absorb academic material. And so I was really happy to see this updated. It actually hadn't been updated since 2013 was Ah, the last major revision I believe. And when we look at it we see that they say it shouldn't be just free time. It's not a reward after academics. It's just an important foundational part of healthy child development. And that is really important. I remember one my, one of my sons who was just, you know, just does not like to be cooped up in a classroom. He's very adventurous and I remember asking him what he learned on the first day of school. And he said, when the little hand on the clock is on the 10 and the big hand is on the 6, I get to go outside. That's basically what I learned. Kids just aren't designed to sit and listen and produce academically all day long. They need time for unstructured play through recess and, and weather and, and then they need it when they get home too, or when they finish their school day, wherever they are. That is really important. So I was happy to see that emphasized. When we're looking at. Now, one of the biggest questions that I get are really, what I call the big four. These are the big four play structures. I get questions about trampolines, ATVs, golf carts, and micro mobility tools. So we'll talk about what those are. First, let's talk about trampoline. Now, this is one where the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation may surprise you. They actually recommend no home. No trampolines, especially home trampolines. And that is a hard thing. I know, I know a lot of you out there have a trampoline. I'm just telling you what the guidance is. And I'm just telling you with experience of having been a nurse who worked in an emergency room, we see fractures and sprains and concussions and head and neck injuries, spinal injuries. There's. It's. Trampolines are really a very high risk endeavor. And especially when you have multiple children jumping together, that increases the collision and the double bounce injuries and especially flips and somersaults before they're really trained to do that or, developmentally ready to do that. That increases the risk of those head and neck and spinal injuries. Now, a lot of people will tell me, well, we have a safety net on ours now. It doesn't eliminate the risk because some of those injuries just occur on the trampoline itself. And I have seen really tragic outcomes of kids trying to climb over the netting and getting caught up in that. And even in ground still, you can have, that may be safer, but safer doesn't mean safe. So it's. So that's something that you should really think about. Talk to your primary care provider about what is going to be best for you and make sure that if they're there, there's always supervision. Now, ATVs are also really popular, but the guidance there is also very clear. And the guidance is children under 16 should not operate ATVs. Now that doesn't mean that when they're 16, all of a sudden they can, because we have a wildly different progression through puberty. And you could have a one 16 year old who is pretty small and you know, not, not hit that peak of growth velocity yet. Or you could have a 16 year old that's basically like a grownup. But ATVs are really heavy things that require a lot of strength and balance and rapid decision making which often they don't have experience for, especially if they don't have a driver's license. They need mature judgment and they need the physical ability to handle that heavy powerful machine. And an adult size atv, you're talking about hundreds of pound and pretty high speed. So the recommendation, the just blanket starting place is no ATV operation for kids, under 16 and avoid it for younger kids even if they're riding with somebody else. But that is if you do use it, you're over 16 or you're an adult, you should use a Department of Transportation approved motorcycle style helmet and avoid those public roads. That is really important to talk about that and not to underestimate their ability and put them on a vehicle that they're really not prepared to be able to handle. Again, it just, it breaks my heart to think of the preventable tragedies that I have seen there. But when we come back, we're going to talk about how we can keep our kids safe, tell you about golf carts and I'm really going to tell you a lot about these e bikes and e scooters because they are a popular talking point for everybody. Neighborhood social media page, we'll talk about that and how we can help our kids stay safe from viral trends that have to do with play. I'll be right back after this break.
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Come To Jesus by Kristian Stanfill: If you bought what they sold you just to find out the world only good at letting you down Come to Jesus M if the well that you draw from keeps running dry and the water you're drinking won't satisfy Come to Jesus Come to Jesus There's room for us all at the foot of the cross where perfect love every prodigal cost the Savior is waiting with arms open wide so leave what's behind you behind Come to Jesus Come to Jesus
Dr. Jessica Peck: welcome back friends. That is Come to Jesus by Kristian Stanfill And I hope wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you're having a great Friday. Thanks for joining us on this Friday. We're talking about keeping our kids safe and how we do that during play. And I'm talking about some of the new ways that the play landscape has changed for children and how we can be wise stewards of their safety and help them to embrace adventure and to learn and to grow, but also to be safe.
Golf carts can create a false sense of security because it just seems so sedate
And I was just about to talk about golf carts. This is another really popular thing I know I get a lot of questions about. And they can create a false sense of security because it just seems so sedate. You know, when you watch golf on tv, it's probably the calmest sport. Everyone's quiet and you drive the golf cart and it just seems so risk free. But they are still motorized vehicles and crashes and rollovers and falls from being and injuries from getting struck by a vehicle, they still do occur. And especially when we've got kids who don't have experience driving, who don't have really mature judgment, the rules should be set very clear. Make sure you know your city or county or ordinance, that may govern golf cart usage. So that is something important to know. Make sure you just use good sense. Everyone sits still. You don't pile people on. Keep your hands, your arms, your legs inside all of those things. And really all kids should always be supervised. That is really important. You might also want to check for recalls on the specific golf cart that you're using because sometimes they issue there are new recalls that are issued involving crash hazards or, or break failures or things like that. So that's important thing to do.
American Academy of Pediatrics recently noted a significant rise in serious pediatric E bike injuries
But probably the most contentious issue of play in a neighborhood today is E bikes and E scooters. And this is one of the fastest changing areas of pediatric injury prevention because again, an E bike sounds like a bike and it's just not a bicycle with an extra help. It's faster, it's heavier, it's more powerful, sometimes much more powerful. And it's a lot more difficult to control than a traditional bicycle. And so the American Academy of Pediatrics recent guidance really has noted a significant rise in serious pediatric E bike injuries. If you don't believe me, talk to any healthcare professional who works in an emergency room. If you even say E bike, I promise you, if you don't have a soapbox out, they will find one. They will bring it out, they will tell you about this because they're seeing a lot of injuries. I see that in my Students and my colleagues. And the recommendation is that for children ages 12 to 15, you should only consider a Class 1e bike if the child is ready, and kids under 12 shouldn't use them. Now what is that? I'll tell you in just a minute here. But for E bikes, you really want to have a properly fitted helmet every ride, make sure that they train with somebody and they have some supervision before they're allowed to ride independently. Start with the lower speed models, follow your local laws, and no passengers. I know we used to do that. I used to have a, you know, banana was the banana handlebars and Pete, my brothers and sisters, ride on those. That is not a good idea at all. Another thing to really talk to your kids about when they are outside, whether they're walking or they're on traditional bikes or E bikes or scooters, is not to have earbuds or headphones, or AirPods or any kind of listening device in while they are walking or using those vehicles. They may not hear a car approaching. They may not hear a strange dog or animal approaching. They might not hear somebody yelling out, a warning to them. It's really important to make sure that they're fully aware and that they're not just tuned out, especially some of the newer models of headphones. They are noise canceling. So you don't hear anything on the outside. So that's important. Think about the traffic exposure that the kid will have. You know, there's different paths and different, there's some places that are just safer to ride than others. And the, scooters are different, though. E scooters are different. And the guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics on that is actually that children under 16 should not operate or ride a motorized or E scooter. And for any, for any wheeled activity anytime, you should always be wearing a helmet. So let's talk, let's talk a little bit more about E bikes and E scooters. Let me give you some more specific guidance. when you're thinking, okay, can my kid ride an E bike? You need to think, okay, can they physically control this machine, this machine? Can they safely stop? Can they stop, start? Can they turn? Can they react quickly when a car, a pedestrian, a dog, a toddler suddenly appears? And are they following the rules? Are they trustworthy? Do they recognize hazards before they're immediately in front of them? And a kid who really good traditional bike rider may not be automatically ready to transition to an E bike. So that is important. Now, those E bike classes That I told you there's actually different classes of E bikes. And so sometimes I think parents may go to the store and they think, oh, I'm just buying an E bike. all E bikes are the same. But that's actually not true. There's three classes, and I'm speaking really generally here, but there's three classes of E bikes. And class one is a pedal assist only. It's just the motor helps while you pedal up to 20 miles per hour. A Class 2 is motor assisted up to 20 and it can use a throttle without pedaling. And class three is pedal assists up to 28 miles per hour. Now if you're riding that, that's actually a lot faster than you think that it would be. So again, that AAP recommendation is only Class 1E bikes for kids ages 12 to 15 who are developmentally ready. And kids under 12 shouldn't ride E bikes. So that is important. As you're thinking about even already now, your holiday shopping, start thinking about that and talk to your kids primary care provider and ask them for more guidance. That's really important. But if you get them one and they are developmentally ready, they are of age, make sure that you help them practice. Help them start and stop and break and turn and look over their shoulder and avoid obstacles and control speed. Give them some scenarios that they can practice there. Teach how to break, make sure they're wearing their helmet every single ride, that they're not letting anybody else jump onto the bike with them, that they're not using their phones or their headphones. All and they're following the local law. That's important. Kids also need to know how to inspect their E bike before every ride. Check the brakes and the tires and the handlebars and the lights and the cable and the frame. They need to know how to take care of what they're riding. Now, for E scooters, as I said, this is more caution. So the recommendation is nobody under 16 should ride an E scooter. Now, one of the things that makes them more dangerous than a bike that maybe you wouldn't think about is this. E scooters have much smaller wheels than a bike. So you can imagine if you're riding along on an E scooter and you're going at a pretty good clip, clip, a little crack in the sidewalk, a little bit of gravel hitting a curb, some uneven pavement, it can stop that front wheel abruptly and it throws the rider up over it. That's, that's a really specific hazard that can happen. And so that's something, to, to watch for. So think about that.
Another safety issue with E bikes and E scooters is actually the battery
Another safety issue with E bikes and E scooters is actually the battery. Because that's a really big distinction between what we recreational equipment that we have today and what generations before have experienced. I didn't have hardly any electronic toys when I was growing up, but almost all toys are electronic. But lithium ion batteries can be a fire hazard. And so there are some things that kids need to know about using, the battery safely and watching that. So you want to use the manufacturer's charger. Make sure you use only the charger that comes with the manufacturer because using another charger can increase the risk of fire. Don't use a damaged battery, don't use an incompatible replacement battery. Charge it only while you're observing it and while there's an adult present, you know, at the home, on the property. Don't charge it overnight while everybody is sleeping and follow those manufacturer instructions for charging and storage and pay attention again to those recalls and safety warnings. That is really important. And so, you know, if we remember riding our bikes and just taking off and not having life 360, we didn't have an E bike that was going, you know, much faster than a traditional bike with a lithium ion battery attached. And that is, that's a really important thing to think about.
Kids today, they do need some degree of safe supervision
And so kids today, they do need some degree of safe supervision. And when we hear that word supervision, we, we don't know, you know, what exactly is that. That means knowing what your kids are doing, knowing what equipment they're using in what environment they're using and being close enough to intervene when it's appropriate, understanding their developmental abilities and anticipating what could go wrong. Sometimes kids need direct, continuous supervision. We talked about that. Anytime they're around water, they need eyes on and sometimes within arm's reach. Sometimes for older kids it's going to, you're going to have looser parameters there. A 3 year old and a 13 year old are going to be really different. There's, but really we want to make sure that kids are thinking about their safety and thinking, okay, am I giving them equipment that's appropriate for their age and size and developmental level? Am I setting them up for success here? And this thinking about, you know, just the environment that's around. Are there a lot of cars or traffic where you live? Are there pools that they could, or bodies of water that they could encounter their animals? I mean, I live in Texas. If you go out and play outside and you are, you know, know, anywhere not out of the neighborhood you could possibly encounter a coyote. That is not impossible. I have actually encountered a coyote once when I was walking in my neighborhood. That can happen. So thinking about those things, think through those things and help them to think through that is really, important. Not so they'll be afraid, but the so they'll be equipped and empowered for that. Because safety isn't about creating a childhood without risk. Kids need to climb and they need to run and they need to get dirty and sometimes they need to fall and rol around on the grass. They need to try things that are a little challenging. They need to discover what they can do. But there's a difference between appropriate developmental risk and allowing an unnecessary hazard. So we want to have freedom with boundaries, opportunities to explore the world safely. That is really important. So if you're looking for any more evidence based guidance, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Healthy Children.org It's HealthyChildren.org, this is the website that has an extensive at play safety resource. And it covers all kinds of things that you can look at and I encourage you as families to play together, with your kids. Kids need play. They need us to laugh. They need to have moments of connection. They need that support for their mental health. They need to build their communication skills. And games will absolutely do that. And when we play together, it creates a sense of belonging. Like, hey, my family actually enjoys being with me. I can make my parents, my grandparents, my siblings laugh. They're not just managing me, they're not just supervising me, they're not just dragging me around town. They actually enjoy being with me. And those are the memories that you want them to have and creating those opportunities for discipleship.
There are a lot of trends that can come online without adequate adult supervision
Now what we see a lot of times is kids because they are playing so much online or they have so much online exposure. There are a lot of trends that can come online that kids will try without adequate adult supervision. And sometimes even when we think we are adequately supervising them, and we often tell our kids, hey, don't do that, be safe. We just tell them, be safe, be safe, be safe. Like, they don't know what that means. They don't know exactly what that means. Their version of safe, I'm telling you, is way different than our version of safe. And what there's sometimes that it happens that a dangerous idea doesn't come from their sibling or their friend or the neighborhood playground. It comes from a video that has gone viral that has reached millions of children that looks really exciting and enticing.
A viral social media trend about sensory toys has health professionals concerned
So I want to talk Specifically about one particular viral social media trend involving, this one, this particular news story was about neato sensory toys. But there are a lot of other, brands and, and things that, that apply to that. And this has health professionals warning families about potentially serious burn injuries because that's bigger than one squishy toy. It's about how kids encounter risk in the digital age and how social media very rapidly normalizes this online behavior. So we've got to teach kids to pause first before they, they just jump on to do the viral trend and, and how we respond to that. So that's really important to, to do. So when we're looking at this, at this trend, what we see is that kids are heating up this toy in the microwave and then it is, it hurts them, it burns them, actually, really, really seriously, that happens. So that, that's what happens with a toy and why they're microwaving it. You know, I could really tell you what they're looking at, but it doesn't really make sense. And we see some reports and some very serious injuries and burns that can happen to that. And we see that scalding injuries are already the leading cause of burn injuries in children. Hot gel especially, it can leak, it can burst, and it can explode. And then especially when you have a gel like material, here's the thing, it sticks to a kid's skin and it's, a very, very difficult to get off. It continues to burn them. And that is really important, important. So we want to make sure that kids are not, a lot of times they have access to a microwave, that they're not heating up toys that don't need to be heated up or freezing or even leaving them in a hot environment like a car car in summer. Heat can be really, really hot. And this matters because the Internet can turn a bad idea into a really enticing experiment really, really quickly. And it's. We can, we can't fault kids for making a poor decision when they were really set up for failure. And that and, and the marketing and the exposure and have that. And the difference between yesteryear and now is the speed at which this decision, this poor decision can happen, the scale at which it can happen, because we have a lot more powerful products and the social reinforcement of those decisions.
We'll talk about some viral trends that kids might jump onto online
So we're going to talk about some viral trends that kids might jump onto online and why they see something that seems so dangerous, but they see other kids doing it and they just are gonna do it because they're developing judgment, they're developing impulse control. They weren't intended to grow up in the, exposure of online. Kids have underdeveloped judgment and character to handle the over exposure that happens online. And they see and they really do think everybody, everyone's doing it. Hey, if this video has millions of views, it must be credible, right? So you see something repeatedly, it just feels normal. And that video may make it seem like it's dangerous, but it's just, it's not that normal. So when we come back, we'll talk about how social media has changed the way that these risky behaviors spread. And I'll also talk about some, cheerleading injuries and, and some good news that we're seeing there in that I'll see you right after this break.
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Fight On My Knees by Evan Craft: somebody's been praying for this very moment. Feels like a whisper. buddy, in heaven is love. Oh, don't give up. Don't give up on the ones you love. Oh, just a little faith is enough help me to remember my help comes from heaven God, when I surrender I find all I need strength in every week yes, in the name of Jesus always find a secret I find on my knees I fight on my knees.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is Fight on My Knees by Evan Craft. Thanks for joining us this Friday. Wherever you are, wherever you're going to, wherever you're headed to, I pray that you are headed into a blessed weekend. And we're talking today on this Friday about how to keep our kids safe when they're playing. Now, I don't want this conversation to leave people thinking oh, all of these dangers around, our kids can't have any fun anymore. That is not the message really. We see some of these exciting new play opportunities and some of the steady old ones that provide things like transportation and exercise and independence and recreation and just plain fun. Fun. But freedom and play really works best when it is also paired with responsibility. We don't want to just give our kids the keys or the handlebars or whatever it is and just say, hey, be careful, be safe out there. Be, be safe. Don't do anything dumb because they don't know what that is. Our job is to prepare them very specifically to take the time to teach them how to break, how to recognize hazards, how to follow the rules of the road, that a helmet isn't optional, that a phone can wait, that being capable of going fast doesn't mean that you should. And because when it comes to our kids, we're not trying to eliminate every risk. We're just trying to make sure they're developmentally ready for the risks that we are allowing them to take. And I am seeing again, you know, going back to the E bikes and E scooters, I see that even in my own community, not too long ago I was going to, to pick up food from to go place. And these boys, they had to be 10 or 11 years old on E bikes. They were just going through the drive through on these little E bikes over and over and over again. And the poor workers, oh my goodness, they were trying to be so patient but they were really worried because the drive thru is not a safe place for an E bike for sure. And a lot of times, you know, we, we just have this pendulum always swinging like, hey, I'm not gonna micromanage my kids and let them just play in a bubble. But we also have to be wise. That is really important. Now we can't come at any of these things, viral trends or electronic vehicles or electronic games online with a fear based strategy because fear might get their attention. And so that feels good to you in the moment because you feel like, okay, I see the whites of their eyes. I see them wide eyed. I've got them where I want them. They're listening, they're paying attention. Attention. But it doesn't build judgment. And we know that from research that fear is very effective in creating fear. Fear based tactics do create fear, but they don't change behavior. So a frightening story can make a child feel afraid in that moment, but it doesn't equip them to make a safe decision the next time. Kids learn what we do way more than they learn what we say. So if we're telling them, them, wear your helmet, wear your seat belt. We don't wear a helmet. We don't wear a seat belt. They absorb. The lesson they're absorbing is that, hey, the helmets are for kids. Not. Not for people who understand risk. Like, it's just understanding risk prevention. Because safety is going to become a family culture when everybody participates. So that is really important. These safety rules shouldn't just be for kids. They should be family rules. You want to model the behavior you want before you demand that your kids do it. Put your phone away while you're driving. And when it comes to safety, what you can do is give your kids permission to respectfully call you out and say, hey, this is a family safety rule. Nobody should be on their phone while they're driving. And let me tell you, when you give your kids the opportunity to call you out, they will do it. You have to help teach them how to do it respectfully. But it really is a good accountability measure. And explain the why with. Without just making everything a catastrophe. So, like, we know usually what we're going to say is, hey, if you don't wear your helmet, you could hit your head and you could die. That's not. We want to say, hey, your brain is important. And when you are not wearing a helmet, your brain is at great risk, not just today, but for the rest of your life. And it is so important that you wear a helmet to protect your brain so that you can do all of those things that you want to do as you're growing and learning. And. And we also want to use mistakes, lapses in safety as a teaching moment, not a shame moment. If they forget to wear their helmet or they forget to put on their seatbelt, you don't say, how could you? You just say, hey, oh, this is important. I see that you forgot that. Let's. Let's pay attention to that safety rule. That's really important, because our kids don't need us to make them afraid of danger. They are already plenty afraid of plenty of things. And usually they're afraid of the wrong things and they're not afraid of the right things. So they need us to teach them how to recognize risk. Risk and to change their behavior accordingly. That is really important to do. And so when we go back to these viral trends that I was talking about before the break, really the disturbing part of these stories that happen, and you can look at any number of headlines that talk about viral trends, it can be the, the TikTok door knock trend where you know, you go up to somebody's house in the middle of the night and you bang on their door when. Well that is definitely not a safe thing to do. We also saw this happen during Pokemon Go and people would chase Pokemons into private property and in places that weren't, that were dangerous. There's all kinds of viral trends that you can look at. But again, the difference in today's viral trends is the speed and the scale and the social reinforcement of those, of those decisions that kids are making. Because again, kids have developing judgment judgment. They have very poor impulse control. And if you're really honest and you think back to when you were young, somebody says like hey, let's try this and you think, oh that's a terrible idea, I'm in, let's go. You know, when you do it, they have, they're very impulsive and so especially when you're seeing something online, we're seeing that they have difficulty understanding the consequences, especially if it's delayed, especially if they don't see that consequence right away. Way. And just seeing it really makes it feel normal. So we need to teach our kids and give them some decision making tools and a framework for what they see. So when they see something that's viral and that's really popular, we can say okay, it seems like everybody's doing it, but is it really safe? What could happen to you if you do this? Is, is this what the product was designed and intended for? Are you using it for something that it was not designed and intended for? For? Could someone get hurt doing this? Is, is the person, is this video that I'm seeing or am I only seeing the fun part and not the consequences? What, what do I do? Would I do this if I hadn't even seen it online? And should I ask an adult before trying it? This is something that you should see. Really be talking to your kids and grandkids about. Say you're going to see all kinds of things online. Ask me, ask me about it and we can find a safe way, way to participate whenever that's possible. Be open minded about helping your kids experiment and have fun. But it may need a modification. So that's really important because a kid can watch something on a screen and it can be a moment of play and all of a sudden they're in a really dangerous stunt or they're experimenting with something that's really unsafe. And that is, that's really important because the, that boundary between online Safety and physical safety has basically disappear because kids see something and they try it immediately. That's really important. So when we talk about it, we need to teach our kids to pause because we cannot possibly, as adults, monitor every dangerous trend that appears. There is always a new dangerous trend. And some of those, you know, that we've seen, are really difficult. The danger isn't always the trend itself. It is that imitation. Because kids may see only that 10 seconds of fun and not the emergency room that follows behind it. Or they see a video where it doesn't look like anybody was harmed, it looks like it was safe, it looks like it was fun because people are laughing, people are sharing it. But a million views is not a million safety endorsements.
Some recent viral trends have caused real harm to children
So let me give you some examples of some of the more recent viral trends that have caused real harm. And some of these I know if you haven't heard them, you'll probably scratch your head and think, what now? Like kids do what now? But again, we have to recognize that they're designed to have limited mature thinking and we need to meet them where they are. One was the Tide Pod challenge. So teens actually filmed themselves eating laundry detergent pods. why we, we could, we could not really come up with a good reason why. It just, it gets views, it gets likes. But detergent exposure, especially concentrated like that, it can really be surprisingly harmful. And so this wasn't a new toxic substance. It was an existing household product that being used inappropriately for social media attention. So that's something. But people hop on the trend. People hopped on the trend of a Benadryl challenge where they intentionally took excessive amounts of an over the counter antihistamine, diphenhydramine to experience hallucinations. But kids don't know that can cause heart problems and seizures and coma and even death. And so that the family lesson that comes out of that is medications or medications, even if they're over the counter counter, even if they're supplement, even if they're a vitamin. There's other trends like NyQuil Chicken or Sleepy Chicken videos that encourage cooking chicken in, in cold medication. I know, I mean again we, we look at this, but these are things that, that can happen. We saw also one of the concerning ones to me, the most concerning, although they're all concerning to some extent as a blackout or choking challenge where kids intentionally restrict their own breathing or our blood flow. And these aren't just harmless challenges. Another one that was really popular, the one chip challenge where participants ate a really super ridiculously spicy Tortilla chip and then, or some kind of chip and they filmed their reaction. But that actually can cause really big safety concerns. And like I've told you, the microwaved, like the heated, microwave heating of the gel filled sensory toys is really dangerous. So don't wait for the headline to come have the conversation. Now you don't have to list every dangerous challenge. You don't have to say, okay, you're not eating laundry detergent pods, are you? Right, you just want to establish a family rule about challenges. A simple family rule. Hey, if you see a challenge online that involves doing anything unusual, dangerous, painful, ingesting something, taking medicine differently, restricting your breathing, heating something, hurting something, someone, anything that seems out of the normal of what we would do every day you stop and ask us first. You come and ask an adult. So teaching them the power of that pause is so important. Don't initiate immediately ask what could go wrong and is this what that product or activity was designed for? But mainly you want to teach them to ask an adult before you try any challenge that you see, see or hear about. Because sometimes they're not even seeing it, they're just hearing about it online. That is really important to do. We also need to make our homes safe to tell environment. So they need to be able to say, hey, I saw this really weird challenge. Are, these kids were talking about a weird challenge at school. So we don't immediately panic and say, stay away from those people. Give me your phone. We start with, I'm so glad you trusted me enough to tell me. Thank you so much for coming to me. We will figure this out together. Show me what you saw, tell me exactly what you heard. But the first thing we say is thank you for trusting me to come to me with this. That was a great decision. And we give them that immediate feedback loop and then talk with them about it. Having that open communication to see like, okay, is this wise? Is this not wise? What should we do? And if you find out that your kid already did it, they participated in something that was dangerous, a vile trait trend. The important thing is to stay calm. Your child's first priority is, is getting help and, and not, not avoiding punishment. They should want to come to you as a source of help. So that's important. So you want to address whatever may have happened that may be calling 911 or Poison Control if they've ingested something, or seeking medical attention if, if that has already happened, but if, if that hasn't happened and thank goodness that everything is seems to be okay. Okay, really talk about that. Once you address the immediate danger, just say, okay, what made this seem like a good idea? What guardrails do we need to put up to help you to be more supported in your decision making? Not what were you thinking? Because the truth is they weren't thinking. We cannot assume, oh, my kid would never do that. My kid would, would never make that bad decision. But they may be just curious or trying to fit in or trying to make their friends look laugh or trying to get followers like they've seen other people do online, trying to impress someone. They're just feeling like they're missing out or they're just unaware of the danger. We need to talk about those things and make sure we're talking about it before it happens. Just make a simple rule. Hey, no challenges in our house. Without asking first. I told you before I ended I would tell you something about cheerleading. I would. Cheerleading is often overlooked as a sport. But a new, new research study that came out looked at 16,000 cheerleading related in emer emergency department injury records. So 16,000 cheerleaders who went to the ER. That's a lot of cheerleaders by the way. And between 6 and 18. And this was over almost a 20 year period. And about 15% of those injuries were closed head injuries. But what they saw was that in 2012 there was a specific move called the double down maneuver. Maneuver, it's a 720 degree twisting dismount, which I can't even imagine that was banned. And they did see that that has actually significantly reduced the amount of head injuries in cheerleading. And so even looking at just what are your kids doing? How can we help them just be the safest that we can. I'm so grateful for all of the research out there, researchers out there who are doing this work, anybody who's involved in child safety, thank you for what you're doing. I encourage you to get out there and play with your kids this weekend. Play with your family, whether your grandparents, playing with your grandkids or whatever it is you're doing. I hope that you play together and have a good time and that you stay safe. And as you do, I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. And I'll see you right back here next time. We'd like to thank our sponsors including PreBorn. PreBorn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion. And every day their network clinics rescue 200 babies lives. Will you join PreBorn in loving and supporting young moms in crisis? Save a life today. Go to preborn.com/AFR the views and
Jeff Chamblee: opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
It's Ask Dr. Nurse Mama Friday! Jessica discusses this week's healthy habit of keeping your family safe at play. She also talks about this week's Homefront Headlines.
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Chapters:
(00:00) More than 80% of abortion vulnerable women choose life after seeing ultrasound
(01:47) Dr. Jessica Peck talks about keeping kids safe during play on American family radio
(09:08) We also want to give our kids time for unstructured play
(11:01) Some common injuries that kids can get when they're playing are falling, sprains, strains, fractures
(11:49) American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its policy statement on the role of recess
(16:48) American Family Radio is listener supported; without listeners this podcast would not exist
(18:51) Golf carts can create a false sense of security because it just seems so sedate
(20:07) American Academy of Pediatrics recently noted a significant rise in serious pediatric E bike injuries
(25:35) Another safety issue with E bikes and E scooters is actually the battery
(26:53) Kids today, they do need some degree of safe supervision
(29:49) There are a lot of trends that can come online without adequate adult supervision
(30:37) A viral social media trend about sensory toys has health professionals concerned
(33:07) We'll talk about some viral trends that kids might jump onto online
(34:12) American Family Association has many facets that make up the whole
(44:27) Some recent viral trends have caused real harm to children
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