Content and Context in Screen-Based Media Exposure and Young Children's Academic Skills

• In Event: The Relationship Between Screen-Based Media on Child and Adolescent Development

Abstract

Children’s screen time is widely discussed in child development, with serious concerns raised about the implications of screen time for academic skills (Domingues-Montari, 2017). However, prior studies of screen time have not adequately characterized the context of children’s screen time to understand how different typologies of screen viewing relate to development of academic skills. In this longitudinal study, we aim to provide a rich characterization of children’s screen time by content, screen medium, and parental monitoring. Then we examine how these characteristics relate to children’s academic skills, while considering family background and the home learning environment. Findings indicate different typologies of screen use at age 4 predict child literacy and spatial skills at age 5, after accounting for contextual factors.

Authors

• Linsah Coulanges, University of Pittsburgh

• Heather J. Bachman, University of Pittsburgh

• Melissa Libertus, University of Pittsburgh

• Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, University of Pittsburgh