Children's Screen Time study

A study surveyed parents in 2020 and 2021 about their children’s use of technology and social media during the pandemic. The study focused on youth younger than 12. Between 2020 and 2021 children used digital devices and social media more, and parents increasingly expressed worry about the amount of time their child was spending on those devices. Parents became more aware of their children's online use, and some changed their monitoring habits: either being more restrictive or more lenient. 

McClain, C. (2022). How parents' views of their kids' screen time, social media use changed during COVID-19.   Pew Research Center.

https://pewrsr.ch/3Koo0qU

Student device quality research

   Broadband access and speed aren’t the only technological concerns for students engaged in remote and hybrid learning. The quality of the student device itself also plays a key role, according to a new study, specifically,the age of the device and device specifications. Researchers looked at data from students using the same internet service provider and noted that throughput was actually lower in the case of students who had inferior devices even though they were on the same network.

   According to the report: “… [U]pload and download speeds during online classes/meetings can vary significantly by the age, type, and quality of device used. Students that were provided with older and less powerful equipment had an inferior experience than students with newer devices. Students that received newer devices with limited specifications (e.g., memory and processor) also had more challenges than students that were provided with devices with better specifications.”

   Some of the factors that impact the quality of the learning experience include, according to the report (all bullets quoted verbatim from the report):

• Type and speed of processor
• Amount of memory
• Central Processing Unit (CPU) utilization
• Number of applications running at one time
• Quality of WiFi antenna and signal strength received
• WiFi standard used and access frequency

   Beyond replacing devices or purchasing upgrades, there are steps IT departments can take to improve device performance, such as whitelisting the sites and services that deliver students’ at-home learning materials and online class sessions so that performance isn’t hindered by a network filtering product. The report also noted that data analytics are critical for assessing student device performance. 

Digital equity initiative. (2021) Student home internet connectivity study. CoSN. https://www.cosn.org/digitalequity

Youth Reading Habits in a Digital Age

Scholastic, in conjunction with Quinley Research and Harrison Group, conducted a survey to examine family attitudes and behaviors regarding reading books for fun in today’s digital age.

Key findings include:

-       Parents believe the use of electronic or digital devices negatively affects the time kids spend reading books (41%), doing physical activity (40%), and engaging with family (33%; PAGE 6).

-       From age 6 through age 17, the time kids spend reading declines while the time kids spend going online for fun and using a cell phone to text or talk increases (PAGE 7).

-       When asked about the one device parents would like their child to stop using for a one or two-week period, parents most often cite television, video game systems, and cell phones.

-       While only 25% of kids have read a book on a digital device (including computers), many more (57% of kids age 9-17) are interested in doing so.

-       It is clear that letting kids choose which books they want to read is key to raising a reader. Nine out of 10 children say they are more likely to finish books they choose themselves.

-       In addition to choice, parents use other tactics to encourage reading that appear to result in more frequent reading, including making sure there are interesting books at home (for kids age 9-11 and 15-17), putting limits on the amount of time spent using technology (for kids age 9-11), and suggesting books they might like.

Scholastic (2010). 2010 Kids & family reading report: Turning the page in the digital age. New York City, NY: Scholastic. http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/files/KFRR_2010.pdf

Connection Between Media Use and Disrupted Sleep

A study published in Pediatrics found an association between the use of digital devices before bedtime and inadequate and disrupted sleep in children and adolescents. This study by Pediatrics summarizes the literature on electronic media and sleep and provides research recommendations.

This report finds that underlying mechanisms of these associations likely include the following: (1) time displacement (for example, time spent on screens replaces time spent sleeping and other activities); (2) psychological stimulation based on media content; and (3) the effects of light emitted from devices on circadian timing, sleep physiology, and alertness. Further experimental and observational research is needed to elucidate how the digital revolution is altering sleep and circadian rhythms across development (infancy to adulthood) as pathways to poor health, learning, and safety outcomes (such as obesity, depression, and risk-taking).

LeBourgeois, M. K., Hale, L., Chang, A. M., Akacem, L. D., Montgomery-Downs, H. E., & Buxton, O. M. (2017). Digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence. Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), S92-S96.