African-American youths, impoverished youths, and children with parents who have at most a high school diploma consume the most media, according to a new study. Conversely, those from white families and higher-income households, and those raised by parents with at least a college degree tend to consume slightly less media than their peers.
Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that helps families make choices about media use, surveyed 2,658 young people about how much time they spend on screens—including watching TV or movies; surfing the Web, playing video or computer games; and texting, coding, or chatting. The study also looked at youths’ time spent off screen—including reading books or magazines, and listening to music.
The study divided the youths surveyed into two cohorts: 8- to 12-year-olds, or “tweens"; and 13- to 18-year-olds, or teens.
