Children, Adolescents, and the Media

Abstract

Media, from television to the “new media” (including cell phones, iPads, and social media), are a dominant force in children’s lives. Although television is still the predominant medium for children and adolescents, new technologies are increasingly popular. The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to be concerned by evidence about the potential harmful effects of media messages and images; however, important positive and prosocial effects of media use should also be recognized. Pediatricians are encouraged to take a media history and ask 2 media questions at every well-child visit: How much recreational screen time does your child or teenager consume daily? Is there a television set or Internet-connected device in the child’s bedroom? Parents are encouraged to establish a family home use plan for all media. Media influences on children and teenagers should be recognized by schools, policymakers, product advertisers, and entertainment producers.

Sedentary behaviors, physical activity behaviors, and body fat in 6-year-old children: the Generation R Study

“…Future studies should aim at incorporating objectively measured physical activity (i.e., by accelerometry and direct observation) in order to obtain more information about time spent in different activity levels and physical activity behaviors across the whole day. Finally, data on sedentary behaviors and physical activity behaviors were dichotomized according to current guidelines and recommendations [6,22-25]. This may have potentially led to a loss of information and statistical power to detect associations.…”

“…These variables were combined to estimate daily television viewing by using the following formula: daily use = {[(days per week) * (hours on a weekday)] + [(days per weekend) * (hours on a weekend day)]}/7. Average daily television viewing was then dichotomized into ≥2 hours/day versus <2 hours/day, based on current recommendations on screen-based entertainment for young children [6,21,22]. Average daily computer game use was dichotomized into ≥1 hour/day versus <1 hour/day, since only a small percent of children used the computer (games) for 1 or more hours per day.…”

“…Television viewing especially is highly prevalent among young children [6], and both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies support the association between children’s television viewing time and overweight [7]. The evidence for a similar association has been less consistent for computer use, possibly due to the more active nature of this activity [7].…”

Results From the United Arab Emirates’ 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

“…The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 24 policy statement on children, adolescents, and the media proposes a guideline to limit total media time (including new media such as cell phones, tablets, and social media) to no more than 2 h/d. 20 and a more recent school-based study 14 described earlier were considered during grade assignment for this indicator.…”

“…The WHO Global Health Observatory 26 reported age-standardized estimates for the proportion of adults achieving the adult PA recommendations as 61.6% of adults, 67.8% of males, and 55.4% of females. The UAE Indoor Air, Health, and Nutrition Study 6 used the short form International Physical Activity Questionnaire 27 reported that 41.2% of the adult Emirati females (N = 478) achieved the PA recommendations 24 with a lower proportion in urban areas (37.1%) compared with rural areas (47.8%). The study reported an inverted-u shape for the proportion of adult Emirati females achieving the recommended PA levels by quintile (Q) of wealth index (incorporating household income, assets, housing type, and household size): Q1 (poorest 20%) 26.5%; Q2 54.0%; Q3 50.6%; Q4 51.0%; and Q5 (wealthiest 20%) 23.2%).…”