American children's use of electronic media in 1997: A national survey

Within a weighted, nationally representative sample of 2902 children, differences in electronic media use by age and sex were examined. The data collected were part of the University of Michigan's Child Development Supplement (CDS) to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), and included two 24-h time-use diaries, one from a weekday and one from a weekend day. Children and their parents reported the titles of television programs, videotapes, and electronic games (both computer and platform) that the children used. These titles were coded by genre, and differences in total time and in time spent with specific genres within each medium were examined. Main effects of age and sex on total use and use by genres are reported. Among other results, oldest boys were found to spend more time watching sports programs and playing electronic sports games while the oldest girls spend more time watching relationship dramas and not a large amount of time playing video games. The results indicate the diverging media interests of boys and girls. Use patterns may also suggest a lack of availability of appropriate electronic games for older girls. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.