ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Young children today use over two hours of media per day on average, and some children use much more. There is considerable societal concern about the effects of media use on young children. However, we know very little about how media use affects children’s language development over time. Media use could negatively impact language development by displacing other important activities like shared book reading and interactions with parents and peers. This is a crucial area to study because early language skills are critical contributors to later academic achievement.
This study will follow children from age 3 to 5 and examine their media use and language skills. Beyond how much media children use overall, data collection will include information about how much children use media with adults, how much children use interactive (apps/games) versus noninteractive (TV/video) media, and how much children use educational media. These factors may influence the impact of media use on language development. A wide range of data sources will be used to capture a nuanced view of children’s media use. Further, information will be collected about a host of covariates that are likely to be linked to both media use and language development. This will allow for the identification of the unique relation between media use and children’s language development during this crucial time frame.
– Funding –
This project is funded by the National Science Foundation.
– Timeline –
This project runs from July 2023 to June 2027.
Meet the Team
Primary Investigator
Co-Investigator
Co-Investigator
Co-Investigator
Senior Personnel
Senior Personnel
Graduate Research Associate
