BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A University of Alabama at Birmingham study found
adolescents ages 14-15 are engaged in media more than 23 total hours daily.
"It's
just crazy," says Aaron Davis, doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology and author of
the poster. "I knew that media use was significant in their lives but I didn't
realize how consuming it was for them and that is concerning especially when
you consider all they have access to online."
The
study, part of a larger study on adolescents and sleep deprivation, surveyed 55
Birmingham area adolescents and their parents regarding media use. Fifty-eight
percent of the teens were female, and 53 percent were African-American. The
adolescents were an average age of 14.89 years. The media hours were calculated
independently so if they were talking on the cell phone for one hour while
simultaneously watching television that counted as two hours.
The
survey found that on average each day teens spent more than six hours texting,
three hours watching television, one and a half hours on Facebook, one hour on
Twitter, one and a half hours on other Internet sites and one hour playing
video games. Parents also were asked to estimate how much time their teens
spent using media each day, and their answers differed from their children's by
more than six hours.
"Aaron's
results may surprise a lot of people," says David Schwebel, Ph.D., co-author
and director of the UAB Youth Safety Lab. "Teens these days enjoy the wonderful
benefits of technology for communication, entertainment, and learning but we
also have to figure out ways to set limits on teens' overuse of
technology. Much as it can be difficult sometimes, parents have to stay
involved and monitor their adolescents' use of technology. We have to work
together to be sure teens use technology safely, get adequate sleep at night
and do not use technology in while driving or in situations where their
attention should be elsewhere, such as in a classroom."
The
study also examined the way media use affects sleep. Nine of 10 said they have
at least two media sources in their bedroom; more than one-third said they have
four or more media sources in their bedroom. The UAB study also found that 35
percent of students were awakened by their cell phone at least once nightly.
Parents are encouraged to set rules for their adolescents' media use that
include powering off cell phones at night and limiting screen time during the
day. It is also recommended that parents know where their kids travel online
and who they visit when texting, IMing and chatting.
"Kids
are getting cell phones at younger ages, and the phones give them access to
anything they want — games, videos, Internet and friends — anytime they want
it," says Davis. "I'm not sure what the future will bring but I do know this is
an area we need to pay significant attention to with research and parenting. It
is really important to know how this is affecting our kids."
Davis'
work is supported by grants from the National Science
Foundation and The Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia.
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