Screen Time & Access to Technology
I started my research by looking into social media usage in teens. I researched about race, income levels, gender and age. I found this article "The Common Sense Census" 2021, that helped me gather the information. Looking at the images below from the article, I was a little surprised by what I found out.
This first image shows how the average screen time is increasing each year. The teens almost double the tweens average. I thought this chart was important to first notice because if we are looking at social media and technology use I wanted to look at the times first. Keeping in mind the older the students are they could be using technology and apps for school or work and maybe that is why they are almost doubled.
Image Source: "The Common Sense Census"
I also thought this chart was interesting because looking farther into the screen times, this chart broke up the teens by gender, race and family income. According to the article, “Boys use more screen media than girls, Black and Hispanic/Latino kids use more than White kids do, and children from lower-income households use more than those in higher-income homes”(2021). I found it interesting with family income how the middle and lower income class have a much higher screen entertainment average than the higher income class. I started to think of reasons why the white high income families might have less screen times than others. Is this because they might be able to have more opportunities outside of the house? Like sporting events, places to go visit and opportunities that they can pay for which limits the teens time inside of the house. I believe that income can be a huge part of the entertainment opportunities for teens.
Image Source: "The Common Sense Census"
This last chart was a percentage of teens that identity with that race or income and if they have a computer at home or not. Which makes me think about all the access to technology that the teens have at home and how that affects their screen time.
Image Source: "The Common Sense Census"
Looking at all the charts from the article, at first you would think that the lower income households would have all the resources available for the teens since their percentages are the highest, but that isn't the case. More than fifty percent of the teens have access to a computer or phone but is that computer from school or one computer per how many people in their household. The teens that do not have a computer are not able to have the same opportunities as the teens that do. This makes it harder for the students to be able to do their homework outside of school or not able to find opportunities for them to be able to get jobs. Thinking about this past weekend I had a student email me for help, but are all my students able to have that opportunity?
Moving Forward
As a teacher, I need to make sure that I give all my students equal opportunities even if they do not have the same ones at each of their households. Some students may not have access to things that are needed but as a teacher I need to make sure I can help them out, especially when things are out of their control.
Hi Stacy! Wow, it is scary to see how much time the younger generations spend on their phones. In your first chart, are those times in hours? I am assuming so. It is also crazy to see how each year the time is just growing. The latest year you posted about was 2021, could you imagine what the screen time is now in 2023? We might not even want to know! I know some of the parents of my students put a "max screen time" limit on their teenager's phone, so after a certain amount of time they cannot use certain apps. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteTeachers need to give this consideration when they are assigning homework that needs Internet access as well.
ReplyDeleteHello, Stacy! I think you bring up some very valid points. There is so much going on with our students nowadays that we never had to experience. The amount of screen time these students have is HIGH. I know that students are on the computer the majority of the school day in my district, and I know that they are also online at home- those numbers are taking over almost all waking hours.
ReplyDeleteHi Stacy! Thanks for sharing your perspective. The world around us filled with technology whether it is phones, computers, and video games. How can teens limit their time and disconnect? I reflect back to when I was a teen and honestly I did not have a phone until my Freshman year of college. With all this "tech" time, my question is how does it affect one's mental health?
ReplyDeleteHI Stacy,
ReplyDeleteI really think it's interesting the points that you bring up from your first study, The Common Sense Census. I think you're on the right track; families from with lower incomes have more screen time because these parents & guardians aren't home as much to regulate the usage (or in part). I've seen this especially with friends I know. Also, when these parents are home more, they plan out other activities that aren't screen related and have the income and time to do so.
I also think that you have a good point in bringing up that income levels already put our students at a disadvantage. Many of these older students probably have a school-issued device, but do they have Wifi at home? Can they complete work at home? Maybe they need a quiet place to work? Maybe they are trying to complete work while working or babysitting? Do they physically have the time to get schoolwork done? I was talking with a fellow teacher about this, as both of us grew up in the same area and both had disadvantages in high school related to this. I know the issue is more complicated than this, but as an educator it is good to know. I think some of the teachers that I work with are used to dealing with students who make up excuses time and time again, but we should talk with the student about what they do have access to at home and what kind of supports are needed. Looking at IEPs are only a first step, in my opinion. We need to make sure we have open communication with these students that might not have the same opportunities as some of their wealthier peers. Your comments were great, Stacy - thank you for your post!