Your Child’s Engagement with Technology: Test Your Savvy

The Parent Tech Awareness Quiz

Published on October 7, 2014 by Susan Newman, Ph.D. in Singletons

 

While technology — from smart phone devices to electronic tablets to televisions and game consoles — has become the centerpiece of family life in many homes today, new research suggests we need to find a healthy balance now more than ever.

Take this quiz to find out how technology may be affecting your children. You will probably begin to view “screens” and their impact on your children differently and look for different ways to build family memories and strong connections. Maybe you’ll be compelled to reduce your children’s engagement with technology.

The Parent Tech Awareness Quiz 

1. The average age of a child starts to use a touch-screen device is about:

A) 5 years old

B) 18 months old

C) 11 months old

D) 8 years old

2. How many hours a day (7 days a week!) does the typical 8- 18-year-old child spend on “screens” including digital devices and television?

A) 2 hours

B) 12 hours

C) 7.5 hours

D) 4.5 hours

3. What’s one surprising — yet not uncommon — side effect of children spending too much time on digital devices?

A) Tunnel vision

B) Weaker emotional attachments to parents

C) Hostile behavior toward friends

D) Restless leg syndrome

4. What is likely to be the most enduring memory of childhood for adults?

A) Playing video games

B) A text message fight with a friend

C) Cleaning up after dinner

D) Family movie night

5. What is the best way for babies to develop language?

A) Playing with board books

B) Being read to and talked to

C) iPad apps

D) Watching Sesame Street

6. What’s the science behind why digital devices are so addictive for children (and adults)?

A) They’re fun

B) They pass the time easily

C) They release dopamine to the brain

D) They give users endless choices

7. What’s more likely to make you or your child happier?

A) The latest toy that everyone else has

B) A hand-me-down baseball cap

C) Playing a game on a tablet

D) A family trip

8. Children spend more time with what (than they do with their parents)?

A) Their friends

B) Their siblings

C) After school activities

D) Digital devices

9. The Centers for Disease Control and the National Center of Health Statistics recommend that preteens and teens spend a maximum of how many hours in front of a computer and television set per day?

A) Two hours

B) Four hours

C) Three hours

D) Five hours

10. Today, what’s most likely to come first in a young child’s development?

A) Learning to read basic words and phrases

B) Learning motor skills like tying a shoe

C) Learning how to use a tablet device

D) Learning to speak.

Here’s What the Latest Research Says:

1. The average age of a child starts to use a touch-screen device is about: C – 11 months old. According to a study by the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, 11 months was the average age of children who could use a tablet.
2. How many hours a day (7 days a week!) does the typical 8- 18-year-old child spend on “screens” including digital devices and television?: C – 7.5 hours, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. That’s more hours than some children spendsleeping, interacting with family members or hanging out with friends.
3. What’s one surprising — yet not uncommon — side effect of children spending too much time on digital devices?: B – Weaker emotional attachment to parents. Unfortunately, this can result from overindulging in screen time, according to one study recently published in JAMA Pediatrics.
4. What is likely to be the most enduring memory of childhood for adults?: D – Family movie night. A recent Harvard study underscored the surprising appeal of seemingly mundane events — like a routine movie night at home — than big surprises or pricey presents. For some ideas, check out my tips for busy families.
5. What is the best way for babies to develop language?: B – Being read and talked to. Yes, even with all of the seemingly endlesseducation apps and television programs on the market, new research published in Pediatrics shows the value in simply speaking and reading to your young child. In fact, being spoken to — even if they don’t understand what is being said — is a good way for toddlers to develop language skills and facilitate social and emotional development early on.
6. What’s the scientific reason behind why digital devices are so addictive for children (and adults)?: C – They release dopamine to the brain. This creates an addicting action-reward system, notedWall Street Journal writer Ben Worthen.
7. What’s more likely to make you or your child happier?: D – A family trip. Researchers at Cornell University found that experiences make people happier than possessions, both when looking forward to an experience and in reflecting back on it later.
8. Children spend more time with what (than they do with their parents)?: D – Digital devices. The authors of “Protective Effects of Parental Monitoring of Children’s Media Use” that appeared inPediatrics say that children average more than 40 hours of screen time a week, not counting time spent on a computer at school.
9. The Centers for Disease Control and the National Center of Health Statistics recommend that preteens and teens spend a maximum of how many hours in front of a computer and television set per day?: A – Two hours.
10. Today, what’s most likely to come first in a young child’s development?: C – Learning how to use tablet device.

How did you do?

Resources:

Gentile, Douglas A. et. al. “Protective Effects of Parental Monitoring of Children’s Media Use.” JAMA Pediatrics, 2014; DOI:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.146

Herrick, Kristen A. Ph.D. et. al. “TV Watching and Computer Use in U.S. Youth Aged 12–15, 2012” NCHS Data Brief. July 2014.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db157.pdf

Kumar, Amit et. al. “Waiting for Merlot: Anticipatory Consumption of Experiential and Material Purchases.” Psychological Science,0956797614546556, 21, Aug. 2014.http://pss.sagepub.com/search/results?fulltext=cornell&x=0&y=0&submit=yes&journal_set=sppss&src=selected&andorexactfulltext=and

Li, Clayton, et. al. ““Relationship between Cognitive Development and Touchscreen Device Usage in Infants and Toddlers.” 3 May 2014. Proc. of Pediatric Academic Societies, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, BC. http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/view.php?nu=PAS14L1_1531.472&terms

Long, Katherine. “Pilot program gives parents tools to boost babies’ brains.” SeattleTimes.com, 30 March 2014.http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023266397_infantbrainsxml.html

Richards, Rosalina PhD et. al. “Adolescent Screen Time and Attachment to Parents and Peers.” JAMA Pediatrics. 1 March 2010. http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=382905

Rideout, Victoria J. et al. “Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds.” Kaiser Family Foundation, Jan 2010.http://kff.org/other/report/generation-m2-media-in-the-lives-of-8-to-18-year-olds/

Thompson, Dennis. “Parents Should Read to Kids Daily: Pediatrics Group.” WebMD.com, 24 June 2014.http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20140624/pediatrics-group-wants-parents-to-read-to-their-children-every-day

Worthen, Ben. “What Happens When Toddlers Zone Out With an iPad.”The Wall Street Journal. 22 May 2012 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304363104577391813961853988?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304363104577391813961853988.html

Zhang, Tin, et. al. “A ‘Present’ for the Future: The Unexpected Value of Rediscovery.” Psychological Science. 29 Aug. 2014. doi: 10.1177/0956797614542274http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/08/28/0956797614542274.abstract

Copyright @ 2014 Susan Newman