Data like the kind found in a recent study by Kaiser Family Foundation reminds me how much we as a society spend hunched over in front of a glowing screen, whether it be a cell phone, handheld, television, or computer monitor. No joke, it's an absurd amount of time.
The research was gathered by surveying kids on a nationwide level who ranged in age from 8 to 18. If you've got some time to burn, the report, "Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-year-olds," is viewable right here. So, roughly how much do they spend per day using media? About 7 and a half hours.
The increase in usage over the past few years is credited to the expanded feature sets of mobile phones in particular. Streaming video, music, texting, Internet access, games ... no wonder these kids are always typing like madmen on their phones.
As someone who spends a good chunk of time combing the Internet for cool on top of regularly prescribed doses of videogame playing, I can relate. Especially since I'm a total child at heart. How much do you spend in front of a screen each week? Too afraid to determine the results?
Young people spend 7 hours, 38 minutes a day on TV, video games, computer [Los Angeles Times]
Contest:
3:00 AM on 01.21.2010
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I used to get about 5/6 hours gaming done in the evenings, but now my son is here that's down to perhaps 3.
I spend my ciggy breaks on my PSP, possibly play a couple of GTPSP races in bed, also when I'm getting stoned in my den.
You know what, apart from my 6 hours sleep, I ALWAYS have some kind of screen in my face. Be it work PC, home Laptop, TV/PS3, PSP/SmartPhone, in the car I have a DVD player and a Satnav which is DOUBLE screen action!
So yeah, I'd say about 18 hours of my day are spent with a glowing screen in my face....
SHIT.
Where's that episodes of Brass Eye involving the latest drug: Cake? when you need it?
5.5 for whatever
I actually hate my generation :/ Yes I flame on them. Not Dtoid.
I thick I must spend 8-9 hours a day staring at a screen. YAY!
It's actually a little worrying if you think that the generation before us (depending on your age) was amazed by colour TV and had limited TV hours as a maximum time they could spend in front of a screen. Even my childhood, all those 10/15 years ago, was spent mostly outside with the odd Sega session.
Whereas we spend more time in front of screens than we do away from them.
I'm just waiting for "science" to announce that WiFI is the new Asbestos. I'm personally always (unless driving) in at least 3 or 4 WiFi bubbles, and along with everything else in the world i'm sure it must have some undesired effects while travelling through our bodies.
I mean heck, my cook book is media. My mom probably spends as much time as I do "using media", but she uses books while I use video games.
Actually, if your kid is under the age of 14 and has an Iphone, I think you lose the right to be called a parent. Why would I title you with something you're not?