by the Editor     TV and the Internet all provide unprecedented learning opportunities for our children, but when our children’s screen time starts eating into other important areas, such as homework assignments and reading, our children’s school performance can suffer.

With technology allowing nearly 24-hour media access as children and teens go about their daily lives, the amount of time young people spend with entertainment media has risen dramatically, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.  Today in the US, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). 

And because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’ (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those 7½ hours.
Recent research from Sweden has concluded that increased leisure use of computers by children leads to poorer reading ability.

"Our study shows that the entry of computers into the home has contributed to changing children's habits in such a manner that their reading does not develop to the same extent as previously. By comparing countries over time we can see … that reading ability falls as leisure use of computers increases", says Professor Monica Rosén, of the Department of Education, University of Rothenberg.

The investigation shows that the frequency of leisure reading and the number of leisure books borrowed from the library have both fallen as computer use in the home has increased.  Thus, it is not the computers in themselves or the activities they are used for that impair reading skills, but rather the way in which the computers have stolen time from leisure reading.

The new computer habits do not promote the development of reading ability in the same way as leisure reading of books does. Reading of printed media has also fallen among adults. In many homes it is becoming ever more unusual that somebody actually sits down and reads something.

“The way in which computers undermine reading shows very clearly that leisure time is at least as important when it comes to developing high-quality reading skills", says Monica Rosén.

Another study from Great Britain shows that one in five parents believe their child’s school grades are suffering considerably due to the amount of time spent on social networking and other non-educational websites according to online research commissioned by phone and broadband provider, TalkTalk.

The study, which examined internet usage amongst children aged 6-17, found that a staggering 47% of parents felt that the use of social networking and other non-educational websites was having a negative impact on their children’s academic performance to some extent. This was worse amongst older children, with 62% of parents with children aged 12-17 admitting they are concerned about their children’s grades slipping as a result of online distractions.

The research found that 25% of children aged 6-11 spend an hour a day on social networking sites, while only 10% use the internet daily for homework. Half of kids aged 12-17 years use social networking sites every day and nearly 40% listen to music, whilst only 16% use the internet daily for homework. Children aged 12-17 who use the internet daily for homework and social networking rank the two as equally important in terms of their time, spending between an hour or two a day on each. 

What can parents do to set the balance right?

Parental control devices are one answer.  These devices help to limit time online, or time spent on certain sites. Some offer vouchers or credits for play time, after time spent on educational challenges.

Limit time dedicated to leisure computer time, and look for quality in the websites kids visit.  There are many educational websites on offer, which have fun and engaging games for kids to play. See YourKidsEd Kids Websites with Games.

Keep laptops and computers in open areas where kids’ activities can be monitored.  Does the child need to be on the laptop during this particular homework activity?  Or is it serving as a distraction from the actual work at hand?

Set aside time for reading books, when no other electronic devices are on to distract.  Even better, this can be family reading time, where the only materials available are in print form:  books, magazines, newspapers, and even comics!

Keep an eye on children’s grades and note any areas where there may be issues.  Discuss any concerns with children’s teachers, and keep the communication lines open.  It is important to know about late and inadequate completion of assignments and homework before it becomes a habit!

Join the YourKidsEd e-mailing list now for news and updates to help you inspire, enrich, and educate your kids. It's FREE!!