Lower-income kids get more screen time

LOS ANGELES — Children in lower-income families spend more time watching TV and using electronic devices than kids in more affluent homes, according to a survey released recently.

The report by the nonprofit group Common Sense Media on the viewing habits of more than 1,400 children nationwide age 8 and younger found that less-affluent youngsters spend nearly 31⁄2 hours daily watching TV and using varied devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and video game players.

By comparison, kids in higher-income homes spend just under two hours on such activities.

“Before we can begin to understand the impact of media and technology on kids and families, we have to better understand their attitudes and behaviors,” James Steyer, the nonprofit group’s CEO and founder, and Reveta Franklin Bowers, chair of its board, said in a preface to the report.

The survey found that Latino parents expressed the most concern about what their children are exposed to in media, including sex, violence and racial and gender stereotypes. AfricanAmerican parents voiced somewhat less concern, with white parents expressing the least worry among ethnic groups.

But a majority of parents overall said their children’s use of digital media helps boost learning and creativity. Other key findings: Children 8 and younger spend an average of 2 hours, 19 minutes daily with screen media, about the same as in prior study years. TV gets the lion’s share, 58 minutes.

The “digital divide” is narrower but still exists between more and less affluent families. Home computers and internet access were found in 72 percent and 74 percent, respectively, of lowincome homes, compared with 97 percent and 96 percent for higher-income families.

Children pick paper books over digital reading. Only three of the 29 minutes that kids spend reading each day are on electronic devices.