National data released today by Common Sense Media shows that young children, ages 0 to 8, are now using screen media for nearly three hours on a typical day. This data, from a survey of more than 1300 parents across the country, follows in the wake of new guidance published last week by the American Academy of Pediatrics that discourages parents from using screen media with children under 2 years of age.

"This data confirms what today's parents and teachers know very well: screen media has become an integral part of children's daily lives," said Lisa Guernsey, director of the  Early Education Initiative at the New America Foundation. "The next step is to tease out how much of this screen media is helping our children, which parts may be helping them learn, and which parts are distracting them from other worthwhile pursuits, including reading and 'pretend' play."

Guernsey, the author of Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age 5, has spent more than five years investigating the impact of different types of TV, video and interactive content on young children. 

Please contact Sabrina Siddiqui at 202-596-3365 or Siddiqui@newamerica.net.