Journalism Study

 According to a recent report, “‘Biased,’ ‘Boring’ and ‘Bad’: Unpacking perceptions of news media and journalism among U.S. teens,” released in November 2025, 45 percent of teens said that journalists do more harm to democracy than protect it.

Biased, boring’ and ‘bad’: Unpacking perceptions of news media and journalism among U.S. teens. (2025).  News Literacy Project. https://newslit.org/news-and-research/teens-and-news-media/

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

Teen media use study

New research shows that media of all types -- entertainment, social, creative -- has played an important role in helping kids get through a very tough time. Tweens and teens have been using entertainment media to keep their connections and their creativity alive when their worlds are so disrupted. Moreover, they have been using media to boost their moods, connect with friends, and even learn new things outside of school. The data in this report reinforces why it's so important to point kids toward the very best of media, like the shows, games, apps, and books that engage, inspire, and represent everyone equally. And it also serves as a reminder that when kids turn to media, they need to enter spaces that are safe, healthy, and free of hate speech and misinformation. But the data also shows that no matter how engaging media has been for kids during this time, they're ready for a return to in-person connections and a more "normal" media balance.

Rideout, V., & Robb, M. (2021). The role of media during the pandemic: connection, creativity, and learning for tweens and teens. Common Sense Media

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/8-18-role-of-media-research-report-final-web.pdf

Family media use study

 A national study found that completing a family media use plan was not linked to statistically significant changes in media rule engagement among adolescents. An editorial that was published alongside the study delved into some of the reasons that can complicate using a family media use plan in adolescents including the increasing use of screens in both education and socialization as well as the urge to fight against parental expectations.

Moreno M, Binger K, Zhao Q, Eickhoff J. Effect of a family media use plan on media rule engagement among adolescents. JAMA Pediatrics. January 25, 2021. Epub ahead of print. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.5629

https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/do-media-plans-impact-teen-media-use

Media Use by Tweens and Teens 2019

This census report is a big-picture look at how young people in the U.S. find entertainment and use devices. Beyond screen time, the report explores other critical challenges for families managing media use, from internet access for homework to unregulated, unrated online videos.

Common Sense Media. (2019). Common Sense census: Media use by tweens and teens 2019. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense Media.  

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens-2019?j=7514895&sfmc_sub=168224478&l=2048712_HTML&u=137031445&mid=6409703&jb=220&utm_source=research_8-18census_2019&utm_medium=email 

 

Screen Time Use and Academics Study

Not all screen time is created equal, according to a review of 58 studies from 23 countries published recently. The review found that time students spent watching television and playing video games -- rather than time spent on the internet and using mobile phones -- negatively affected academics. Watching more TV impacted language and math abilities as well as an overall academic composite for teens; just language and math abilities were impacted in younger children. Teen scores appeared to be worse than those of younger children when the amount of time spent watching TV went up. On average, a typical child plays video games for 40 minutes a day and watches between 1.8 and 2.8 hours of TV each day. Almost a third of children and adolescents spend more than four hours a day on screens, with boys outpacing girls.
Adelantado-Renau M, Moliner-Urdiales D, Cavero-Redondo I, Beltran-Valls MR, Martínez-Vizcaíno V, Álvarez-Bueno C. (2019, Sept. 23). Association Between Screen Media Use and Academic Performance Among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis . JAMA Pediatrics. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3176
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2751330?guestAccessKey=f02523bb-1adb-4566-8f9f-02bab8189b69&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=092319

Teen Media Use Survey

Tweens spend about 6 hours daily on entertainment media, and teens average 9 hours daily, according to a recent survey.They frequently multitask in the process, and much of their use is mobile. Their parents are more concerned about media content than the amount of time using meda. TV and radio are the main sources of entertainment. Media use is gender-linked, and socio-economically affected. The report examines each type of media and its use.

Common Sense Media. (2019). The Common Sense census: Media use by tweens and teens. San Francisco: Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/census_researchreport.pdf

Lack of Screen-Based Media Strengthens Teens’ Nonverbal Emotional Cues

A field experiment examined whether increasing opportunities for face-to-face interaction while eliminating the use of screen-based media and communication tools improved nonverbal emotion–cue recognition in preteens. After five days interacting face-to-face without the use of any screen-based media, preteens’ recognition of nonverbal emotion cues improved significantly more than that of the control group for both facial expressions and videotaped scenes. Implications are that the short-term effects of increased opportunities for social interaction, combined with time away from screen-based media and digital communication tools, improves a preteen’s understanding of nonverbal emotional cues.

Uhls, Y. T., Michikyan, M., Morris, J., Garcia, D., Small, G. W., Zgourou, E., & Greenfield, P. E. (2014). Five days at outdoor education camp without screens improves preteen skills with nonverbal emotion cues. Computers in Human Behavior, 39, 387-392. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.036

Health Risks in Using Technology Excessively

According to a study by the American College of Pediatricians, while the limited use of high-quality and developmentally appropriate media may have a positive influence, excessive or developmentally inappropriate use carries grave health risks for children and their families. Excessive exposure to screens (television, smartphones, computers, and video game consoles), especially at early ages, has been associated with lower academic performance, increased sleep problems, obesity, behavior problems, increased aggression, lower self-esteem. depression, and increased high risk behaviors, including sexual activity at an earlier age.  The American College of Pediatricians encourages parents to become media literate and limit all screen time for their children. Parents, too, must limit their own screen time, especially the use of smartphones, to improve their interaction and engagement with their children, as well as to assure the physical safety of their children.  The College encourages pediatricians to discuss the impact of media with all families, and calls upon the media industry, sponsors, educators, and policymakers to act responsibly to protect the physical and emotional health of children and families.

American College of Pediatricians (2016). The impact of media use and screen time on children, adolescents, and families. Gainesville, FL: American College of Pediatricians. https://www.acpeds.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/11.9.16-The-Impact-of-Media-Use-and-Screen-Time-on-Children-updated-with-ref-64.pdf