Media and childhood: The impact of screen time on Tibetan pastoralist children’s non-formal learning in Amdo

• In Event: Highlighted session: Rethinking learning sites, communities, and what is educationally valuable in Amdo and Kham Tibetan regions

Proposal

This paper presents findings from a comparative ethnographic case study that investigates the impact of digital media screen time on children’s non-formal learning in Tibetan pastoralist communities in Amdo, Tibet. The main questions guiding the research include: How does screen time (use of television, phone, tablets, etc.) influence Tibetan pastoralist children’s non-formal learning of local community culture? How do Tibetan pastoralist children consume media through screen time? How do parents view the influence of their children’s use of media? This paper will also put forth some preliminary recommendations for educators, parents, and policymakers.

In the 21st century, technology and digital media have become a part of children's lives (Donohue, 2015). New media technologies are fundamentally transforming how parents and children live, work, play, and communicate (Livingstone, Haddon, Görzig, & Ólafsson, 2011; Takeuchi, 2011). Media scholar Dafna Lemish points out that “media are one of the most shared and homogenizing mechanisms engaged in by children throughout the world” (Leminsh 2016). Lemish insists that media is a global phenomenon that moved around the world rapidly. While much research shows the negative impact of digital media on childhood education, some studies conclude that when young people are connecting online, their mediated interactions are highly collaborative and meaningful (Berg, 2011; Boyd, 2014; Park, Baek, & Cha, 2014). Others suggest future research should investigate the contexts in which children participate in digital media (Hinkley & Trina, 2017).

In this research project, I spent one month conducting participant observation in different places and different social settings in Amdo Tibetan areas, such as inside homes, at community events, and in teahouses and schools. Through semi-structured interviews, I probed the ideas of ten children, ten parents, five schoolteachers, and five other elders in the family such as uncles, aunts, and grandparents. The content of media accessed by participants in this study was also observed. I started with very general questions such as, “What do you think of media?” and proceeded to specific questions asking if parents perceive differences in knowledge of the local community culture between children who consume more or less media.
Various screen technologies are new in the lives of Tibetan pastoralist communities. Unlike places such as the U.S., where parental control settings and cultural norms constrain how children use devices, Tibetan parents do not usually access parental control settings (if they are available) and, likewise, there are fewer cultural rules regarding the use of digital media in Tibet. Conversely, children are actually in the position to teach their parents how to use devices like mobile phones. And, importantly, the majority of the media content is from a culture vastly different from their own.

My research illuminates the ways in which a Tibetan pastoralist context raises unique (or at least understudied) issues regarding the role of digital media, especially when it comes to education about one’s own culture (and not just curricular content in schools). Preliminary findings indicate that the current generation of children who are impacted by significant screen time use are indeed growing up in pastoralist communities, but are no longer participating in family chores and learning skills such as cooking food, herding livestock, riding horses, and making butter and cheese. The elders have fewer chances to transmit the language and values connected to pastoralist lifestyles through storytelling, songs, and different age group interactions. Children are participating less in local cultural activities such as religious rituals and community events. This paper will conclude with some preliminary recommendations for educators, parents, and policymakers to mitigate the negative effects of digital media screen time use among pastoralist children in Tibet.

Author

• Tsehuajab Washul, University of Virginia