Paper from Lori Takeuchi, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop
Until now, adolescents have received most of the at-
tention as far as video game, Internet, and cell phone
use are concerned, from both the press and the re-
search community. But digital engagement begins
well before adolescence. When and where are chil-
dren first being introduced to digital media, by whom,
and why? What roles are parents, siblings, and other
family members playing in shaping children’s early
interactions with media? And what about these inter-
actions do kids find so endlessly amusing?——————
This and other large-scale surveys (e.g., Common Sense Media 2011; Lenhart and Madden 2005; Lenhart et al. 2007; Nielsen Company 2009; Gutnick et al. 2010) provide valuable snapshots of the amount of time children are spending with what types of media. Yet they tell us little about how and why kids are using these media or what, if anything, they might be learning as a result.