High-Tech Tots

NEA Today, Feb 2004 by Subramanyam, Urmila

Babies still in diapers might be more wired up and tech-sawy than a lot of adults you know. According to a study released by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, even the very youngest children are growing up immersed in media, spending hours a day watching television, using computers, and playing video games.

Children six years and younger spend, on average, two hours a day using screen media, well more than the mere 39 minutes a day they spend reading on their own or with a parent. And nearly half of them are on a computer by their sixth birthday.

Meanwhile, this wired lifestyle is showing in children's waistlines, according to a study by the City University of New York Graduate Center. Children ages 4 to 14 who use home computers more than eight hours a week weigh about 12 pounds more than children who do not use computers at home, according to the study. These high-tech kids generally spend about three hours less each week playing sports and outdoor activities than their peers who do not use computers at all. Is it any wonder children are getting heavier?

-URMILA SUBRAMANYAM