For Immediate Release - Call for Funding Children and Screen Time

PEDIATRICS Journal Releases First-Ever Supplement Dedicated to Effects of Digital Media on Children 
 

Washington, DC: As the iPhone turns 10, screen time-and lots of it-has changed reality for today's kids, and even babies. Teens (ages 13-18) spend an average of 9 hours each day on entertainment media use, excluding time spent at school or for homework, and tweens (ages 8-12) spend just under 6 hours per day. Even a majority of toddlers spend more than an hour each day in front of a digital screen. Yet despite its omnipresence, digital media's effects on childhood development, including cognitive, psychological, social, behavioral and physical developmental impacts, remain largely unknown. Parents today navigate unchartered waters on issues from cyberbullying to internet addiction, while experts are only beginning to ask, let alone answer, questions about the unintended consequences of our daily digital diet. 
 

"Developing Digital and Media Literacies in Children and Teens: A Call for Research and Policy Actions is the paper that our group of experts contributed to this timely effort," said Tessa Jolls, President and CEO, Center for Media Literacy, Los Angeles. Read Press Release

An online copy of the report can be found here http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/supplemental