Understanding How ‘Screen Time’ Affects Learning

Becoming Media Mentors for Young Children

Lisa Guernsey

NAEYC 2013

About me

Director, Early Education Initiative at New America in Washington, DC

Researcher and policy analyst

Edu, sci & tech journalist

Author, Screen Time ScreenTimeBook.com

Published by Basic Books * Paperback Spring 2012

Today’s talk

1. Quick poll

2. 5 assumptions about screen time

3. How the The Three C’s may help

4. The need for media mentors

Photo: Messina1017 on Flickr

How old are the children in your life?

__ Infants (0-1 yr olds)

__ Toddlers (1-3 yr olds)

__ Preschoolers (3-5 yr olds)

__ Early elementary (5-8 yr olds)

Which screen media did they consume/interact with yesterday?

__ Traditional TV and DVDs

__ Video games via console with TV set

__ Packaged computer software (like Jump Start)

__ Apps and other games on a tablet (like an iPad)

__ Video clips/photographs on a computer or tablet

How would you describe your feelings about children’s media use?

__ I don’t worry very much about my kids using screen media.

__ I worry about the impact of screen media on their development.

__ I don’t know whether to be worried or not because I don’t know enough about how screen media is affecting them.

Smartphone ownership by age

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project, May 2013

Trends in time spent

SOURCE: Common Sense Media, 2011; Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005.

*2011 results reflect answers to the use of apps, iPod and iPads across all four types of activities. In 2005, apps did not exist and were not part of the survey.

Minutes spent w/screen media per day among 6 mo – 6 yr olds

What media means to family life and children’s learning

Daily routines: Where does digital media fit? How is it connected to what children want to learn and need to learn?

What kind of content are they watching or playing with?

And where: Bedrooms? Living rooms? Libraries?

Why are children captivated? Does that mean they are learning? What *aren’t* they learning?

How True Are Our Assumptions About Screen Time?

In recent issue of NAEYC for Familieshttp://families.naeyc.org

Assumption 1: As long as the content is “educational,” it’s good for children.

What the research shows: Children don’t always learn what the program creators intend; sometimes they actually

learn the opposite.

Well-designed video: Positive impact on emergent literacy skills at age 5

Study: Could SuperWhy! give children a leg-up on being able to identify sounds, letters and words?

Results: •Reduced many of the typical gaps in pre-reading skills seen between disadvantaged children and well-off children •Even just 3 or 4 episodes made a difference

SOURCE: Linebarger, 2010, retrieved from http://pbskids.org/read/files/SuperWHY_Research_View.pdf

Interaction via a screenEvidence of learning when children

are interacting with character on screen.

Toddlers who show signs of participating with the person on screen were the same ones who used the on-screen information successfully in a “find-the-toy” task

• (Troseth & Saylor, 2006)

Touchscreens with 3-year-olds

Touching a spacebar to “find the puppets” in a computer game led children to find the puppets in a physical version of the game as well.

Interacting with the content seemed to improve the ability to learn from the screen.

- Lauricella et al, 2010

What to look for in screen media

Straightline storytelling

Participation

Labeling on screen

Engagement

Repetition, review, routine

Non-violence

Assumption 2: The TV may be on in the background, but my children aren’t affected.

What the research shows: The TV shows in the background may be impacting your child more than you think.

 

Study: Does background TV impact play and parent-child interaction?

When the TV is always on…

Results: Worse play. Reduced interactions.

SOURCE: Anderson, 2007; Kirkorian, 2009

“Parents wereless responsive to their children in the presence of television.”

Assumption 3: All media for children under age 2 is damaging.

What the research shows: If parents use media with children under 2, they should make sure that screen time leads to social interactions with their babies and toddlers, instead of replacing those interactions. Parents should avoid exposing their very young children to adult-directed programming.

 

Scratch, scratch, what are you?

With permission from Judy DeLoache, UVa

Before age 2

• Attachment and security are paramount

• Social interaction as foundation for learning

• AAP guidance• Mixed evidence

of learning from passive viewing

Assumption 4: Scary movies and TV shows just go over children’s heads.

What the research shows: Scary programs influence children’s sleep and more.

Video not designed for preschoolers: Negative effect on executive function

A small but growing number of studies are pointing to a critical difference between programs made for young children and those that aren’t

• Adult-directed TV longitudinal study by Barr et al, 2010

• Spongebob experiment by Lillard & Peterson, 2011

Assumption 5: E-books are distracting to young children.

What the research shows: It’s all about how they are used.

Photo by JGCC Research Team

In short, the science says:

Content matters• Ask yourself: Can children follow the story? What

are the signs that they are absorbing its lessons?

Context matters• Focus on social interactions, back-and-forth

conversation, setting healthy daily routines

Every child is different• Parents should tune in to the needs of each

individual child, foster curiosity & exploration

The Three C’s

Content Context Child

See ScreenTimeBook.comPublished by Basic Books * Paperback Spring 2012

The hazard

The Imperative

Media Mentors

Trying to fill the need for curation & evaluation

•Common Sense Media•Early Learning Environment (Ele)•Children’s Technology Review•Little eLit blog•ASLA “best apps for teaching and learning”•Parents’ Choice•Appolicious, YogiPlay

On route to media mentorship

- Remember the Three C’s

- Limits are part of raising kids, but probe why you’re imposing them

- Consider how to introduce media as springboard for co-learning and co-exploration, online and offline

Photo by Joan Ganz Cooney Center Research Team

Contact Information

Lisa GuernseyDirector, Early Education InitiativeNew America Foundationeducation.newamerica.net

Author, Screen Time: How Electronic Media – From Baby Videos to Educational Software – Affects Your Young Child (Basic Books, 2012)

www.screentimebook.com