WHAT'S ON

WHAT'S ON
Children and TV
A look at how children under age 6 use TV and other electronic media:
In a typical day, 83 percent watch either TV, computer or video games, for about two hours a day.TV use is by far the most common, watched by 75 percent of those youngsters. One-third watch videos or DVDs, 16 percent use the computer and 11 percent play videos.Media use increases with age: 61 percent of babies 1 year or younger watch TV, while 90 percent of 4- to 6-year-olds have daily "screen time."32 percent live in homes where the TV is on all or most of the time.Asked about effects on learning, 38 percent of parents said TV mostly helps and 69 percent said computers mostly help.15 percent of parents say their pediatrician has never discussed their child's media use with them.A third of parents reported their child had a TV in their bedroom: 19 percent of children 1 year or younger; 29 percent of 2- to 3-year-olds, and 43 percent of 4- to 6-year-olds. Just 5 percent have a computer in the bedroom.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation study's "Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers and their Parents."
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