AI and Screen Media Use Study

 A survey by Common Sense Media reveals that nearly one-third of children age 8 and younger use AI for school-related learning, with 23% of parents noting a mostly positive impact. The study also highlights that children spend an average of 2.5 hours daily on screen media, with a significant increase in gaming since 2020.

Among parents who said their child has used AI tools, 23% said the impact of AI on their child's understanding of school-related material was mostly positive. Fifty-five percent said AI had no impact at all; 16% reported both positive and negative impacts; and 5% called the impact mostly negative.

Other findings from the survey include:

• Children aged 8 and younger spend about two-and-a-half hours a day with screen media. Sixty percent of that time is spent on TV/video viewing; 26% on gaming. Just 1% of screen time is spent on homework.
• Gaming time has increased by 65% since 2020, while TV/video viewing has fallen by 18%. Within that TV/video category, short-form video platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are on the rise.
• By age 2, 40% of children have their own tablet. By age 4, that number goes up to 58%.
• By age 8, one in four children have their own cell phone.
• Roughly one in five children use devices for comfort, meal times, or to fall asleep. (https://thejournal.com/Articles/2025/03/11/Research-1-in-3-Kids-Use-AI-for-Learning.aspx)

The 2025 Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight. (2025). Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-2025-common-sense-census-media-use-by-kids-zero-to-eight

Popular apps and devices survey

 YouTube was the most common app used on a weekly basis by 4th-12th graders and for 9th-12th graders, email was the second most common app, according to a survey issued by The Social Institute, a company that provides curriculum addressing social-emotional learning, social media and technology. The survey, which included responses from nearly 23,000 students in U.S. public and private schools, found school-issued devices, TVs and smartphones are the most popular devices used by students on a weekly basis.

23 insights for 2023 on how students navigate well-being, social media and tech. Social Institute. https://thesocialinstitute.com/insight/report-23-insights-for-2023-on-how-students-navigate-well-being-social-media-and-tech/.

Technology Affects Student Success on Exams

This study measured the effect of using an electronic device for a non-academic purpose during class on subsequent exam performance. It was found that dividing attention between an electronic device and the classroom lecture did not reduce comprehension of the lecture, as measured by within-class quiz questions. Instead, divided attention reduced long-term retention of the classroom lecture, which impaired subsequent unit exam and final exam performance. Students self-reported whether they had used an electronic device in each class. Exam performance was significantly worse than the no-device control condition both for students who did and did not use electronic devices during that class.

Glass, A. L., & Kang, M. (2018). Dividing attention in the classroom reduces exam performance. Educational Psychology. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1489046

Parents’ Thoughts on Mobile Devices for Early Childhood Learning

This report by Grunwald Associates LLC Learning First Alliance highlights the perceptions of parents of a mobile generation, from preschoolers through high school-age students. Given schools’ increasing interest in engaging students with mobile learning—during and beyond the school day—and in “bring your own device” (BYOD) models, parents more than ever could be key partners in contributing to this new frontier in learning.

Key findings include: 

-       Parents of students who are required to use mobile or portable devices in school, and “super users,” are the most positive about the potential of these devices for learning and education.

-       The vast majority of children at all grade levels—preschool (pre-K) through 12th grade—have access to an array of technology at home, including mobile devices.

-       For the most part, family ownership of technology changes, in terms of the types of devices owned, with the stages of children’s development.

-       Most children use many types of mobile devices—and they use them often.

-       Parents’ attitudes about mobile learning differ, depending on children’s grade level and gender.

-       Majorities of parents believe that mobile devices and applications offer fun, engaging ways of learning, connecting and communicating

-       Still, despite their interest in mobiles for learning, parents of K–12 students are finding that most of the mobile apps and content their children use regularly are “purely entertainment.”

Living and learning with mobile devices: What parents think about mobile devices for early childhood and K-12 learning. Bethesda, MD: Grunwald Associates LLC Learning First Alliance. http://www.grunwald.com/pdfs/Grunwald%20Mobile%20Study%20public%20report.pdf

Children’s Media Use and Education

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center has conducted a national survey of more than 1500 parents of children ages 2-10 to find out how much of children's media time is devoted to educational content, platform by platform, age by age. This report is the first comprehensive analysis of parents' experiences with the educational media their children use. The report measures the degree to which children and parents use media together, overall and by platform, and looks at how this joint media engagement changes as children get older. The study also examines children's reading behaviors, especially online or on electronic reading devices. The full text of the questionnaire and all topline results are appended.

Rideout, V. (2014). Learning at home: Families' educational media use in America.

New York City, NY: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center. http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/jgcc_learningathome.pdf