>From Common Dreams
Published on Monday, October 28, 2013 by Common Dreams Screens, Screens, Screens: The Worrying Childhood Impact of the Digital Revolution New reports show the growing trend of mobile media as pediatricians warn families to get grip on their kids' digital diets - Jon Queally, staff writer
That children in the U.S., from newborns to 8-year-olds, are spending less time in front of traditional television and computer screens than they were two years ago is the good news found in a new report released Monday.
The bad news? Most of those children are now spending increasingly more time in front of newer-and more mobile-digital screens that a growing number of people carry with them nearly everywhere they go. And worse still, according to new guidelines from the pediatric medical community, also released Monday, both the short-term and long-term impact on these children could be devastating.
According to the first new report, Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America 2013 (pdf), presented by Common Sense Media, one of the most striking developments is the rapidly increased access to and use of portable devices by kids in the younge.
>From the report:
"Among families with children age 8 and under, there has been a five-fold increase in ownership of tablet devices such as iPads, from 8% of all families in 2011 to 40% in 2013. The percent of children with access to some type of 'smart' mobile device at home (e.g., smartphone, tablet) has jumped from half (52%) to three-quarters (75%) of all children in just two years."
"This is quite an extraordinary shift for our young children," said James Steyer, CEO and founder, Common Sense Media. "In the past we could measure and control exactly where, when, and how they were engaging with screens. Now, mobile devices follow our kids from room to room."
"The media children consume can have a profound impact on their learning, social development, and behavior," Steyer continued, "and the only way to maximize the positive impact-and minimize the negative-is to have an accurate understanding of the role it plays in their lives. These kids are true digital natives."
According to development experts, the real and deep concerns about learning and health impacts this trend is having on children in the U.S., especially as the duration and kind of use varied along socioeconomic lines, should trigger a deep warning to parents, educators, and the society at large.
Digital Lives of the Haves and Have-Nots
Dr. Susan Linn, director of the advocacy coalition group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, was troubled by a finding in the report showing that though 54% of high-income families surveyed claimed that overall "screen time" was for educational purposes, only 28% of low-income families did.
"Given the negative association between excessive screen time and school achievement," said Linn in a statement, "it is worrisome that children from lower income families continue to spend more time watching television than their wealthier peers."
"For these reasons, it is important that reducing screen time for young children and promoting healthy alternatives continue to be priorities for anyone who cares about children's health and wellbeing," she said.
What the doctors are saying: 'Families Need a Media Plan'
Also on Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued an updated version of their media usage guidelines for young children and adolescents.
Though the APP guidelines indicate that media use is not by itself a leading cause of any health problems among U.S. children, it warns that unhealthy digital habits can contribute to numerous health risks, including obesity, lack of sleep, school problems, aggression and other behavior issues.
[clip]