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Published on: April 19, 2017
Screen Time Is More than Just the Screen: Indirect Media Exposure Dominates Infants' Digital Environments.
Sarah C Kucker1, Julie M Schneider2
1Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Summary
Infants experience over 2 hours of direct digital media use daily, but indirect background media exposure is much higher. This background exposure, common on weekends, significantly impacts children's total media intake.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Media Studies
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Digital media is prevalent in families, yet infant and toddler exposure is poorly understood.
- Existing research often oversimplifies screen time, ignoring crucial context like media type, user, and background exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the multifaceted nature of digital media exposure in infants and toddlers (8-25 months).
- To examine how factors like media type, user, timing, and background exposure influence children's media environments across diverse demographics.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 252 caregivers of infants and toddlers (8-25 months) from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Collected data on the quantity, type, timing, user, and form of digital media exposure in the home environment.
Main Results:
- Infants averaged over 2 hours/day of direct media use and over 4.6 hours/day of indirect background TV exposure.
- Background media constituted 66%-75% of total TV and handheld device exposure, increasing on weekends.
- Children from lower-SES households experienced more background media and caregiver phone use, potentially causing developmental distractions.
Conclusions:
- Indirect background media exposure is a more significant source of early childhood media intake than direct use.
- Children's media environments exhibit substantial variability, influenced by age and socioeconomic status.
- A comprehensive understanding of early childhood technology exposure requires assessing the broader media environment, not just direct screen time.
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