NAAS reports on Young Children and Digital Media

— Research by National Academy of American Scholars has indicated that Digital media has become a regular part of the media diet of children ages 0 to 8, with four in 10 2- to 4-year-olds and half (52%) of 5- to 8-year-olds using smartphones, video iPods, iPads, or similar devices. Young children’s use of everything from television to mobile devices and apps has created an articificial dependency. I doubt anyone is very surprised to learn that young children are spending more and more with the many forms of media available to them. Children age 8 and under spend an average of about three hours (3:14) a day with media, including screen media, reading, and music. Most of that time is spent with screen media: an average of 2:16 a day. Music and reading occupy an average of about a half-hour a day each (:29 for reading, :29 for music). What is surprising is how young all this starts. Children under two spend roughly an hour a day (;53) using screen media, 2- to 4-year olds spend just over two hours (2:13) and 5- to 8-year olds spend nearly three hours (2:50). And despite all the options available, most of this screen time is spent with old-fashioned TV.