Demographic Predictors of Media Use Among Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Abstract

A great deal of research during the past four decades has explored the effects of media use on children, but remarkably little work has explored the factors that determine how much time a child spends interacting with various media. This article does so with a focus on very young children, ages 6 months to 6 years, and on demographic predictors of media use. Using data from a large-scale national survey sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the authors conducted multiple regressions predicting time spent watching television, watching videos/DVDs, reading, playing video games, and using computers. Child’s age, race, parents’ education, and parents’ marital status had significant effects across most types of media use, whereas child’s gender, birth order, languages spoken at home, parents’ employment status, and parents’ age had only occasional, isolated effects. Family income had no impact at all. Findings suggest various intriguing hypotheses about the processes that might explain the relations observed, thereby setting the stage for future research testing these possibilities.