We conducted a study of 338 students ages 4-11 attending The Russell Byers Charter Elementary School in Philadelphia to better understand the role of mass media, popular culture and technology in the lives of young children from an urban community. Significant results include:
- Having a television in the bedroom appears to be the norm. Most Byers School children report being heavy viewers of television. Cable television dominates children's viewing choices.
- Most intermediate students report frequently using cell phones for photos, games, music, and text messages. Most Byers school children use the Internet and cell phones to listen to music. Beat, dance potential, and celebrity attachment are children's most common reasons for choosing favorite songs.
- Most intermediate-level children use a computer to go on the Internet at home frequently, primarily for entertainment purposes. Viewing videos and playing games are the most common Internet activities for children at the Byers School.
- Almost all Byers School students play video games. Violence and fighting are the most common reasons students report liking their favorite video games.
- Students watch many scary and R-rated movies at home. Many children report nightmares after viewing violent or scary movies.
- Most children report that their parents do not impose rules about TV content. Parents do not monitor children's Internet use. Many Byers School students say their parents impose time limits for video game play, but they are seldom told what types of videogames to play. Across all media forms, parent regulation of in-home media use is uncommon. However, some parents co-view and talk with children about media.
Broadly speaking our results indicate students at the Byers School live in a media-saturated and technology-intensive environment, with few opportunities to share, discuss, and evaluate these experiences with a caring adult. Our recommendations include:
- Open dialogue with parents and children about media and technology use;
- Make media and technology an area of inquiry;
- Help students acquire critical thinking and communication skills;
- Help students articulate and examine taste.
Children's use of the mass media and technology primarily as an entertainment tool has significant consequences for academic achievement, since children may miss out on the many valuable ways that media and technology can support knowledge acquisition as well as cognitive, social and emotional growth. Educators can maximize children's full potential for the 21st century by helping bridge the gap between the classroom and the culture.