Technologies / Growing Up Mobile

In the two years since Common Sense Media first reported on the media use of 0- to 8-year-olds, our latest survey in the series, Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America 2013, shows the media environments and behaviors of young kids have changed. More than ever, they're growing up mobile.

The number of kids who've used mobile devices has nearly doubled since 2011 (38% to 72%).

Traditional screen time is down but mobile screen time is up.

Access to mobile media devices has risen among lower-income families, up from 22% to 65% ... but the "digital divide" between rich and poor persists.

The digital divide impacts access to educational content, too.

TV still rules as the most widely-used platform for educational content (61%), compared to mobile devices (38%), and computers (34%).

Across ALL families, 54% of higher-income 4 kids use educational content on mobile devices. It's mainly an issue of access. This gap disappears for computer owners and diminishes for those who own mobile devices.

The source: commonsense