Digital Activities of Students
Why Teach Digital Citizenship and Literacy?
The safe, responsible, and ethical use of technology does not necessarily happen on its own. Many teachers may believe that their students are vastly more proficient at using digital devices and media than they are. They may be true. Sociologist Eszter Hargittai questioned whether using the term "digital naive" might be better than "digital native." Though your students may be tech savvy, they are not necessarily tech "smart." A powerful digital citizen knows how to harness the power of technology safely, responsibly, and respectfully. ("Online Courses | Common Sense Media." https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/online-courses. Accessed 11 May. 2017
Common Sense 2019 Census
Common Sense Media conducted a national study on the media activities of young people. The report, The Common Sense Census: Media Use of Teens and Tweens (2019) is based on a nationally representative survey of 1,600 U.S. 8- to 18-year-olds. "The purpose of this survey is to present a big-picture look at the large trends and patterns of media usage among young people in the U.S." (CommonSense.org, 2019)
Here are the Key Findings:
On average, 8- to 12-year-olds in this country use just under five hours’ worth of entertainment screen media per day (4:44), and teens use an average of just under seven and a half hours’ worth (7:22)—not including time spent using screens for school or homework.
Online video viewing is through the roof: More than twice as many young people watch videos every day than did in 2015, and the average time spent watching has roughly doubled.
There has been a large drop in the amount of time both tweens and teens spend watching TV on a television set.
By age 11, a majority (53%) of kids have their own smartphone, and by 12 more than two-thirds (69%) do.
There are substantial differences in the amount of screen media young people use based on socioeconomic status.
The amount of time devoted to social media has remained steady, while the age at which young people first start using social media varies widely.
Despite the new affordances and promises of digital devices, young people devote very little time to creating their own content.
Boys and girls have vastly different tastes in media.
Young people are more than twice as likely as they were four years ago to say that they use computers for homework every day.
The digital divide is still real.
Nearly a third (32%) of all teens in this country say they read for pleasure less than once a month, if at all.
The vast majority of young people don’t use tools to track their screen time—nor do their parents.
Conclusions from this Study
First is the vast diversity of ways young people interact with media—the remarkable variety in their preferences and patterns of use.
But our second overarching conclusion is that underneath all this diversity, tweens and teens today place an enduring value on two media activities in particular: watching TV and listening to music.
A third conclusion we reach from our exploration of these data is that young people’s engagement with media still consists primarily of consumption rather than creation.
Fourth, the socioeconomic and racial/ethnic differences in children’s media use patterns are inescapable and concerning.
And finally, although it almost goes without saying, we are struck anew by the ubiquity of entertainment media in young people’s lives.
In sum, media are an enormous presence in young people’s lives, a huge claim on their time and attention, and an element of their lives that is well worth our continued attention.
"Online Courses | Common Sense Media." https://www.commonsensemedia.org Accessed 7 October. 2020.
Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens. 2019
To see the complete report, visit www.commonsensemedia.org/census.
Source: Common Sense Media (2019). Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens. This infographic is based on a nationally representative survey of 2,658 8- to 18-year-olds. Image Credit: Common Sense Media