Minority Children Spend 13 Hours A Day Plugged In

A new study out of Northwestern University finds that minority children in the U.S. spend most of their waking hours and average of 13 hours a day using computers, mobile devices, TVs and other media. That’s about 4.5 hours more than white kids, the report says.

Researchers tracked media use by kids 6 to 18 and then analyzed the data to to find out how black, Hispanic, Asian American and white youth use media for both homework and fun and for how long they’re plugged in each day.

Included in the findings are some alarming stats: Among 8- to 18-year-olds, Asian Americans logged the most media use (13 hours, 13 minutes a day), followed by Hispanics (13 hours), blacks (12 hours, 59 minutes), and whites (8 hours, 36 minutes.)

Researchers are unclear as to why there’s such a disparity, though a couple of experts have their own theories. Frederick Zimmerman, chair of the department of Health Services at UCLA School Of Public Health, told USA Today: “Children may turn to media if they feel their neighborhoods lack safe places to play or if their parents have especially demanding jobs that prevent engagement.”

(Photo: Ciaran Griffin)