How can we better understand how different types of screen time affect young children?
A new book co-authored by Human Development & Family Studies Department Chair and Professor Heather Kirkorian explores the need to shift how we think about screen time and how it fits into family life, with the goal of better understanding how digital media use is associated with child and family outcomes.
Early Childhood and Digital Media was published by Cambridge University Press. Kirkorian co-wrote the book with Professor Rachel Barr of Georgetown University, Professor Sarah Coyne of Brigham Young University and Professor Jenny Radesky of the University of Michigan.
“One motivation for writing this book was reframing the ‘screen time’ conversation to consider the whole family — not just what young children need, but what parents need as well,” Kirkorian says. “Otherwise, we risk making recommendations that are unrealistic or that ignore the many ways parents use media to help them overcome everyday challenges.”
“Screen time,” or the amount of time a child spends with digital media, is considered by some to be harmful to very young children. Because of the prevalence of mobile devices and streaming, it has recently increased dramatically for children under five.
But a simple screen time estimate doesn’t capture the variety of media types and ways digital media is used within family life. In their book, Kirkorian and her collaborators describe a new framework that can be used to more comprehensively assess digital media usage within families. They also provide a roadmap that can help future researchers better understand how digital media use is associated with child and family outcomes.