Screentime and children – how can parents cope?

Screentime and children – how can parents cope?

Using a tablet or TV to calm a fussy child might work in the short term, but a new study out of UC Irvine finds it could backfire later. The study, published in Developmental Psychology, found that higher device use was linked to more behavior issues among toddlers, like biting or hitting, or kicking, as well as more parental stress. The study followed more than 200 families in Orange County and Washington, D.C., over time, from when a child was 9 months old to 2-and-a-half years old. “Emotion regulation skills — like their own ability to calm and distract themselves — [they] might be being displaced by devices instead,” said Stephanie Reich, professor of education at UC Irvine. “And if [kids] don't have that skill, they might act out more, have more behavior problems.” Joining us this morning to go over the findings is Stephanie Reich, professor of education at UCI. We also want to hear from you: how do you think about screentime and how it factors into your parenting? Give us a call at 866-893-5722, or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.

With files from LAist. You can read the full story here.

What goes into writing a song?

From their ivory tower in New York, the New York Times has decided: there are exactly 30 living songwriters who best their peers in every way, and deserve to be called “the greatest.” How did they go about this decision without consulting us lay folk? Well, it turns out they did it rather democratically; they polled DJs, historians, songwriters, and many hundreds of experts to get a shortlist of hundreds of potential picks, and worked their way through to arrive at names like Lana Del Rey and Willie Nelson. It appears to be a gargantuan and egalitarian effort. But what exactly goes into a song that makes it stand out, and how do you find yourself with the ability to produce not just one, but multiple songs that leave audiences floored? Joining us to break down how they went about this list and the criteria used is Jody Rosen, contributing writer for the New York Times magazine. We also want to hear from you! Who do you think is one of the greatest songwriters of all time? What sets them apart from their peers? Give us a call at 866-893-5722, or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.

Deli Nerds owner and chef talk about their menu, community programming

Tucked inside a plaza in Costa Mesa sits a Deli Nerds, a restaurant whose turbulent history is overshadowed by its food and community-building. Toward the end of 2024, the business went under new management and focused its mission on giving customers a place to eat nutritional sandwiches and also experience a variety of events, each day of the week. Their menu includes a variety of sliders, deli mainstays, and other items that match Southern Californians’ palettes. Today on AirTalk’s Food Friday, Austin chats with Tina Babajanians, owner and operator of Deli Nerds, and Hannah Leiva, executive chef of Deli Nerds.

FilmWeek: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2,’ ‘Hokum,’ ‘Swapped,’ and more!

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell, Christy Lemire, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:
The Devil Wears Prada 2, Wide Release
Hokum, Wide Release
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea, Wide Release
Two Pianos, Laemmle Royal [West LA]|Expands Wide May 8
Omaha, Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA]|Expands throughout May
Swapped, Laemmle Glendale & Streaming on Netflix
Power to the People, In Select Theaters May 3
The School Duel, Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA] & Lumiere Music Hall [Beverly Hills]
Modern Whore, Available on Digital & VOD
Paying for It, Available on Digital & VOD
Deep Water, Wide Release
One Spoon of Chocolate, In Select Theaters
Casa Grande, In Select Theaters

Feature: The National Film Board of Canada’s history of experimental animation

In order to keep up with the changing film landscape, Canada’s Motion Picture Bureau was re-established as the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). It was helmed by filmmaker John Grierson, known for coining the term ‘documentary.’ Grierson recruited filmmaker and animator Norman McLaren to lead the NFB’s animation division, and under the two of them, the NFB supported pioneering artists pushing Canadian animation and filmmaking forward. This time on FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with FilmWeek’s own Charles Solomon, animation historian and critic, about his new book “Animation for the People: An Illustrated History of the National Film Board of Canada.”