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Although video games are often considered a less passive activity than watching television, studies have demonstrated that both forms of media are correlated with similar adverse effects upon young children’s attention span. In a study conducted by Edward Swing, the effects of both forms of media upon attention span were analyzed. Attention span was measured in a study conducted using 1,300 elementary-age children. Time spent watching television and playing video games was reported by both parents and the children themselves, and attention spans were scored by surveying the children’s teachers. Ultimately, the study established a positive correlation between time spent with either/both form[s] of media and poor attention span (Klein, 2010).
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"Effect of Video Games and Media on Children’s Academic Performance".
Related Developmental Theory
Inarguably, American children are exposed to more screen time than any cohort of children ever have had access to. The percentage of even very young children with televisions in their homes, and some even with personal television sets in their bedroom, coincides with the average amount of television viewed: of the ~99% of children with televisions in their homes, ~33% of toddlers (1-3 years of age) have a television in their bedroom. Children under a year old view about an hour of television a day, with toddlers viewing approximately 2 hours per day, on average (Wartella & Robb, 2007).
As one of the first studies of its kind (regarding subject matter), Weis and Cerankosky (2010) performed a randomized, control study to observe the effects of video games on young boys’ academic performance. Their findings indicate that the experimental group (each of whom received the video game console at the beginning of the study) scored higher on ‘Learning Problems’ tests. These tests are used to detect early difficulties in academia, particularly in language arts’ areas (reading, writing, and spelling). Difficulties in these areas can be quite detrimental to the child’s continued acquisition of more complex lingual skills, including composition and comprehension because of the somewhat sequential nature of the subjects (Weis & Cerankosky, 2010).
Altogether, the effects of media on young children are consequential. Decreased exposure to situations promoting social growth are an inherent aspect of screen time. Without enriching interaction with adults and peers, children experience more difficulty in the acquisition of various skills. Internalization of an action is much higher when a child witnesses a real person performing the action, as opposed to viewing the action performed by someone on television (Wartella & Robb, 2007).
The displacement hypothesis suggests that access to video games often precludes time spent pursuing educational activities after school. Consequently, lower levels of academic achievement are observed in comparison with children whom do not have regular access to video games. The decrease in academic performance on standardized tests was particularly noted when considering children whom had access to video games on weekdays after school; in comparison with children whom only had access to video games on weekends, the children with access throughout the week spent 34% less time on homework (Weis & Cerankosky, 2010).
Conclusion
Though research concerning the effects of various media upon children’s development, measured via academic scores, developmental milestones, observations, or otherwise, is in the preliminary stages, empirical data suggests that there are negative effects upon children’s development correlated to their media exposure. Difficulty concentrating, which in turn leads to inability to complete tasks, is one such example of a media-caused adverse effect (Wartella & Robb, 2007). The displacement theory, supported by Weis and Cerankosky (2010), offers a theoretical basis for decreased academic performance as well as a starting point for further research.
Since the children in the study were observed to have lower scores based upon their video game usage through the weekdays, but not the weekend, perhaps a follow-up study could be conducted to analyze the results of video game usage only on weekends. All in all, the effects of media upon children’s development is difficult to measure in entirety due to the individual nature of children themselves as well as the impossibility of isolating medias’ effects from the effects of a myriad other influences within a child’s life. That said, more research should be conducted. If we as a culture recognize the probable ill effects screen time can incur in young children, then we can begin to ameliorate the situation by minimizing screen time to an appropriate level.
- Klein, S. (July 2010). Study: Too many video games may sap attention span. CNN.com. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/05/games.attention/
- Wartella, E. & Robb, M. (2007). Young children, new media. Journal of Children and Media, 1(1), 35-44, DOI: 10.1080/17482790601005207
- Weis, R. & Cerankosky, B.C. (February 2010). Effects of video-game ownership on young boys’ academic and behavioral functioning: A randomized, controlled study. Psychological Science, 21(4), 463-470, DOI: 10.1177/0956797610362670
