Digital Kids

A report on young children's digital media consumption, related to the work of Michael Rich

A front-page article in today's Boston Globe looks into the use of digital media by very young children, those aged under six years. One cited study reports that 6 percent of children aged two to five years have their own smartphones. The story quotes Michael Rich, M.D., founder of the Center on Media and Child Health, based at Harvard Medical School, who is the subject of "The Mediatrician," a profile in the current issue of Harvard Magazine. The article includes extensive discussion of research by Rich and others concerning the effect of media use on young people. Separately, the New York Times reports that American Academy of Pediatrics has promulgated a recommendation that children under age two should not watch television. The report quote pediatrician Ari Brown, M.D., of Austin, Texas, to the effect that “When the TV is on, the parent is talking less. There is some scientific evidence that shows that the less talk time a child has, the poorer their language development is.”