Digital World & Our Children

Navigating the impacts of media on young minds in the digital age.

Television

What it does well

• Educational programming
• Shared family viewing
• Exposure to other places and ideas

What to watch for

• Displaces active play
• Advertising aimed at children
• Exposure to violence

• Children aged 8–18 spend an average of 3 hours per day watching TV.

Social Media

What it does well

• Staying in touch with family
• Finding communities of interest
• Creative expression

What to watch for

• Comparison and self-esteem
• Cyberbullying
• Sleep loss from late-night use

• 45% of teens say they are online 'almost constantly'.

Video Games

What it does well

• Problem-solving and reflexes
• Cooperative play
• Persistence at a hard task

What to watch for

• Time displacement
• Aggression from violent titles
• In-game spending

• 97% of American teens play video games.

Preventive measures

Set Screen Time LimitsMonitor ContentEncourage Productive UseTeach Media LiteracyPromote Real-Life SocializationBe a Good Role Model

These figures are reproduced from our earlier MPPD site as it published them. No date or source was recorded there, so treat them as illustrative rather than current.