Professional Reading #7

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8 to 18-year olds. A Kaiser Family Foundation Study

This study was researched to find recreational media patterns and behaviors in children ages eight to eighteen. This study was the third in a series of studies that took place in 1999, 2004, and 2009. There were 2002 respondents that were researched using written questionnaires in the classroom. Media is used to describe TV, music, computers, video games, print materials, and movies.

There were quite a few interesting statistics that stood out to me. The first one is the total amount of time spent using media materials. The average total media use in a typical day is 7:38 hours. However, the total daily media exposure is 10:45. So 29% of the time using media is actually spent multi-tasking where more than 1 form of media is being used at a time. For example, reading and listening to music at the same time or watching TV and texting friends. There has also been an increase in media exposure over time: in 1999 7:29 hours; in 2004 8:33 hours, and in 2009 10:45 hours.

Another fascinating statistic concerned reading. Reading has actually decreased very little over this ten year span. In 1999 :43 minutes were spent reading daily. In 2004 :43 minutes were also spent reading daily. And in 2009 :38 minutes were spent reading daily. On the one hand, this is a small decrease. On the other hand it represents 30:30 hours per year no longer spent reading. So it does add up. However, it is a fairly amazingly small number due to all the hysteria about kids not reading these days.

So the question is if kids are reading pretty much the same amount in the past decade but their total media exposure has drastically increased in the past ten years, what are kids NOT doing know that they used to be doing? The article I read for my last professional reading would suggest they are not increasing their creativity. So are there less creative play time and free time? Instead of building forts in the backyard, collecting bugs, designing Barbie houses and clothes, jumping rope, drawing with chalk on the sidewalk, or playing board games are using the many media devices available to them? I also believe kid’s schedules are more tightly packed. There are many organized sports and activities to participate in. All these activities are great fun, but maybe they do not stimulate creativity very well either.

Media has many educational and entertainment values. We love it all at my house! The question is how to find balance.