Digital Media Use in Young Kids
Earlier this year, my sister and I celebrated her youngest daughter’s third birthday. My niece enjoyed many of her gifts, but the one she was most excited about was a smartphone. Even though she has to share it with her three older siblings, they are rarely willing to fight her for it since she’ll just kick and scream. After her siblings give up trying for a turn, she immediately quiets, a blank expression basking in the blue light of Youtube. Her siblings turn to other devices: iPads from school, the home desktop computer that now seems ancient, or maybe just their mom’s smartphone. They’ll usually use these while also watching television.