The View From The Classroom
A National Survey of Teachers About the Role of Entertainment Media in Students’ Academic and Social Development
A Common Sense Media Research Study
FALL 2 012
Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media:
The View from the Classroom
A National Survey of Teachers About the Role of Entertainment Media in Students’ Academic and Social Development
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................ 5 Key Findings ............................................... 7 Methodology ............................................ 11 Detailed Findings ..................................... 13
Entertainment Media and Students’ Academic Performance ..................13 Entertainment Media and Students’ Social Development ........................18 Background Data on Teachers and Technology ..................................... 20
Conclusion ............................................... 21 Toplines .................................................... 23 References ............................................... 31
Introduction
We often note that children and teens spend more time with media than they do in any other activity except— possibly— sleeping.
In fact, the average time spent with screen media among 8- to 18-year-olds is more than twice the average amount of time spent in school each year (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010; National Center for Education Statistics, 2007– 2008). On average, American children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend more than 7½ hours a day using media for fun: everything from watching TV to listening to music, playing video games, and using social networking sites. And for a lot of that time, they are juggling more than one medium at once — sending tweets while watching TV, or listening to music while posting a Facebook update. Given that media use is something that happens seven days a week instead of five, this is more than