Responsible parents are rightly concerned with how much screen time is OK for their kids. According to folks at CommonSense Media (2016) the answer to this question depends on the age of your children and the category or type of screen time which include:
- Passive consumption: watching TV, reading, and listening to music
- Interactive consumption: playing games and browsing the Internet
- Communication: video-chatting and using social media
- Content creation: using devices to make digital art or music
Before we start exploring just home much our kids are spending in front of some sort of screen it would be helpful to look the example we as parents are setting. As you can see from the infographic below parents are spending over 9 hours with screen media with just under 8 hours devoted to personal use. How does that compare to their children? Excluding time in school and homework the 2015 CommonSense Census found that our teens are spending just under 9 hours with media with just under 7 hours of screen time. There is no denying that we spent a great deal of our time in front of some sort of screen.
(Common Sense Media, 2016)
(Common Sense Media, 2015)
Read the full Report: The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens
Use the guidelines on the How much screen time is OK for my kid(s)? to help you make decisions based on the age and needs of your children.
References
Common Sense Media (December 2016) How much screen time is OK for my kid(s)? [Weblog] Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/screen-time/how-much-screen-time-is-ok-for-my-kids
Common Sense Media (December 2015) The Common Sense Census. [Infographic] Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens-infographic
Common Sense Media (December 2016) Plugged-In parents. [Infographic] Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/plugged-in-parents-of-tweens-and-teens-2016-infographic
