Electronic babysitting

A recent survey of more than 1,000 parents conducted by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that young children spend more time with TV, computers, and videogames than they do reading or being read to:

Children ages 6 months to 6 years spend more time using screen media, such as television, video games, DVDs, and computers, on a daily basis than they spend reading or being read to, according to a survey of parents…. On average, youngsters spent 59 minutes a day watching TV, 24 minutes watching DVDs or videos, six minutes playing video games, and seven minutes on computers, resulting in an average of more than 1? hours of screen-media exposure. The parents also reported that their children spent 40 minutes a day reading or being read to.

So that seems bad, and suggests in some way that electronic media are a “problem.” But when you look closely at the results, it seems clear that the issue is parenting, and the fact that electronic media are easier to use as “babysitters” than print media:

According to the survey, in a typical day most parents whose kids watched TV were in the room and watching TV with their child all (40%) or most (28%) of the time; just 6% say they watched with their child none of the time. Parents are much more likely to report leaving their children alone to use a computer or play a video game, probably at least in part because children engaging in these activities tend to be older. In a typical day, 25% of parents whose children used a computer reported being with the child ‘none’ of the time, while 31% said the same about video games.

In focus groups, several parents spoke about trying to avoid having to watch TV with their kids: this was a time for them to get things done. But some children seem to prefer to watch with their parents there. The mother of one 1-3 year-old from Denver said, “My son says he is lonely, and he wants me to watch with him. I go in occasionally.”

Now, I’m the last one to blame parents who are struggling to make it through the day with all of the demands of work, home, and children–we struggle with that too much in our household to be pointing fingers. But it does suggest that how children interact with media–any media, print, electronic or other–is something that parents should play an active role in. Not every minute, all the time. But kids need guidance, and even if it is not help every minute, being there when kids are playing–no matter what they are playing–is an important part of parenting.