Kids & Technology...let's get down to the stats

Last week, I discussed the fact that my kiddos get more time with my new tablet than I do. In fact, when I looked at apps I had downloaded for myself versus what I had downloaded for them, I even threw myself a little pity party (which does not include cake or confetti, in case you were wondering). I found that about one half of my tablet is filled with squares advertising games like "Puzzlemania!" "ABCs Rock!"  and "Dress Your Puppy!" (Okay, I made those up, but they are pretty similar to what's on there.)

Anyway, tablets are just the next thing in a long string of technology that's saturated our culture since the "Don't drop it or it will break your foot" desktop computers of the nineties.

As mentioned last week, a recent study by Common Sense Media shows that 75 percent of households with kids 8 years of age or younger have access to a computer at home, almost 70 percent have high speed internet, and about 10 percent of homes use ereaders, with the number of those devices growing. Schools have kept pace, with the Edmond Public School system boasting WiFi on every campus, smartboards in every classroom, and a whole truckload of tablets that will be used to enhance the way teachers educate students and keep them competitive in a high-tech world.

So what else does the average kid have access to? Here's some more stats from Common Sense Media's report, Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America 2013 (based on homes with kids 8 years of age or younger):

• There has been a five-fold increase in ownership of tablet devices (such as iPads), from 8 percent of all families in 2011 to 40 percent in 2013. Also, the percentage of children with access to some type of “smart” mobile device at home has climbed from 52 percent to 75 percent in just two years.

• About 70 percent of children have used a mobile device for some type of media activity such as playing games, watching videos, or using apps, which is up from 38 percent in 2011. In fact, today, 38 percent of children under 2 have used a mobile device for media (compared with 10 percent two years ago).

• The amount of time spent using these devices in a typical day has tripled, from an average of 5 minutes a day among all children in 2011 up to 15 minutes a day in 2013.The difference in the average time spent with mobile devices is caused by two factors: expanded access, and the fact that those who use them do so for longer periods of time. Also, among those kids who use a mobile device in a typical day, the average went from about 45 minutes in 2011 to over an hour in 2013.

All of this has led to a decrease in TV time for kids 8 years of age and younger, although that medium still dominates their total media usage time. In fact, TV adoption is almost universal, with 98 percent of homes with children in this age group owning one. And most children (67 percent) also have a video game player at their house.

What does this all mean? Well, I'm glad to see our kids keeping up with the rest of the world. I'm glad they have access to cutting-edge technology. But, like you, I have my concerns. What about time spent reading, something that's proven to build critical thinking and lead to success in school and beyond? What about playtime? Physical activity? Socialization?

Well, we'll talk about those things too. Stay tuned...