6.5: Media Exposure and Literacy in Early Childhood
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Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Describe the media diets of children in early childhood
- Compare the positive and negative effects of media exposure in early childhood
Sanjay is obsessed with a cat game on his tablet. In the game, he can make a cat meow, talk, wave, and giggle. He is regularly found on his app making cat noises and giggling at the funny cat responses. His stepmother has noticed that he’d rather play his cat game than play outside, go to the park, or cuddle for story-time.
Sanjay is about to turn five and still does not know his alphabet, so his stepmother downloads a new alphabet learning game onto his tablet. She shows him how to play it once or twice and hopes that he’ll be encouraged to play. But Sanjay shows no interest in the educational game; he’d rather just play the cat game and make noises. His stepmom is wondering what her next steps should be in trying to help him to develop pre-literacy skills.
Sanjay's experience is not unusual and illustrates the importance of considering media diet and exposure in this age group.
Media Diet
For as long as humans have lived in civilized societies, we have consumed media . In ancient times, this consisted of folklore, legends, and plays. In the industrialized era, media consumption included newspapers, radio, and early photography. By the 1980s, children’s media included brightly colored picture books, cartoons on television, and songs by children’s artists. Today, children consume 100 times more media imagery than previous generations could, from streaming shows to apps and games on their tablets to songs and trivia on home smart speakers (Hawkey, 2019).
A media diet is the information to which people are exposed via mass media outlets such as television, music, video games, and electronic devices. Media diets include intentional exposure, such as a specific online videos children choose, and unintentional exposure, such as advertisements that pop up on a smartphone game. They can also include passive content that might not be noticed immediately such as background music in a shopping center, and more active content that grabs our attention such as a flashing strobe light advertising products on a billboard.
In 2011, a national survey indicated that young U.S. children tend to watch two hours of television per day and spend about one hour playing video games (Common Sense Media, 2011). Ten years later in 2021, young children’s media consumption had increased to 3.5 hours per day and their options had diversified to include smartphones, video on demand, and online streaming (Figure 6.24). However, most children’s media experts recommend that preschoolers should consume only one hour of high-quality educational programming per day and spend no time on any other type.
Children and Media Exposure
In much the same way that observation of parents, peers, and siblings teaches children about the world around them, media exposure shows children the social norms and values of their culture and their world. Images on television are captivating, song lyrics are catchy, and characters in children’s media can be inspiring, so children pay attention, encoding and retaining what they see and hear in the media.
Exposure to screens and electronic devices can both stunt and spur child development in certain circumstances. Children’s early language skills tend to develop best when they are interacting with other people face-to-face. Young children who spend too much time watching screens may not experience the beneficial interactions with their caregivers that help with facial recognition, language development, and social emotional intelligence. If television is being used as a babysitter and a substitute for high-quality time with caregivers, then this screen time is associated with children lagging in their cognitive and social emotional development.
Link to Learning
Watch this TEDx Talk about how the pace of fast-moving television shows influences the stimulation of the brain and child development outcomes to learn more.
Children who spend extremely large amounts of screen time viewing content that is high in aggression may be more likely to display aggressive and disruptive behavior, hyperactive behaviors, and poor self-regulatory skills (Holmgren et al., 2023). Observing violent television shows, video games, or music can make children become more aggressive. Overall, those who consume more aggressive and violent media tend to display more violent behavior. But this association is complex.
Watching a superhero movie may not make all children more aggressive, but it can desensitize viewers to violence. Desensitization occurs when our brains stop reacting and become numb to a certain type of event. Children, teens, and adults who consume more violent media tend to be less reactive to violence and consider it more normative. Children who are desensitized to violence may be more likely to perceive violence and aggression as appropriate and morally justified, particularly if they witness a superhero or favorable character act aggressively. They may then be more likely to act aggressively. However, this is a complex chain reaction of desensitization , normalization, justification, and action (Figure 6.25). Certainly, not everyone who consumes violent media becomes aggressive themselves.
Still, some screen time is beneficial. Mobile educational games can be particularly helpful for early development because they can provide portable outlets for creativity, problem-solving, and interactions with others. Watching educational programs alongside a parent or caregiver and discussing what they see can be an especially effective way for children to comprehend new concepts, experiences, and ideas (Sanders et al., 2019). Screens can also help facilitate communication with family who live far away or to arrange playdates between friends following a move or, as recently happened, during a pandemic (Quinones & Adams, 2020). Using mobile devices to connect with extended family members provides increased emotional attachment, familial bonds, and companionship.
Watching educational programming alongside a family member has been tied to preschoolers’ improvements in language development, literacy, numeracy, reasoning, and problem-solving. Children’s ability to understand satire, metaphors, and hidden morals in stories, to be critical of advertising and marketing in media, and to break down messages and takeaways in film and television can all be enhanced through watching as a family. Children who consume media with a family member may be more likely to become critical thinkers (Hutton et al., 2020). Helping children navigate media usage in early childhood thus requires nuance, because not all media consumption is detrimental. The recommendations for using screens in a healthy way, based on Ponti et al, 2019, can help in early childhood and beyond.
- Avoid screen time one hour before bedtime, and do not have screens in children’s bedrooms.
- Co-watch and be present when children are consuming media.
- Help children ask questions and think critically about what they are viewing, especially advertisements.
- Encourage screen use that allows for creative, educational interaction rather than passive viewing.
- Help children pick shows and videos that have positive messages and model age-appropriate behavior.
- Avoid using the TV for background noise.
- Encourage and maintain non-screen hobbies and interests.
References
Common Sense Media. (2011). Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America. https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/fi...0325-82243.pdf
Hawkey, E. (2019). Media use in childhood: Evidence-based recommendations for caregivers. CYF News.
Holmgren, H. G., Stockdale, L., Shawcroft, J., Coyne, S. M., & Fraser, A. M. (2023). Toddlers and the telly: A latent profile analysis of children’s television time and content and behavioral outcomes one year later in the US. Journal of Children and Media, 17(3), 1–20. doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2023.2195194
Hutton, J. S., Huang, G., Sahay, R. D., DeWitt, T., & Ittenbach, R. F. (2020). A novel, composite measure of screen-based media use in young children (ScreenQ) and associations with parenting practices and cognitive abilities. Pediatric Research, 87 (7), 1211–1218. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-0765-1
Ponti, M. (2019). Screen time and preschool children: Promoting health and development in a digital world. Paediatric Child Health, 28 (3), 184–192. doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxac125
Precise TV, & Giraffe Insights. (2021). Kids and the screen: Changing the channel.
Quinones, G. & Adams, M. (2020) Children’s virtual worlds and friendships during the Covid-19 pandemic. Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 5, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1163/23644583-bja10015
Sanders, T., Parker, P. D., Del Pozo-Cruz, B., Noetel, M., & Lonsdale, C. (2019). Type of screen time moderates effects on outcomes in 4013 children: Evidence from the longitudinal study of Australian children. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 16 (1), 117. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-019-0881-7