This report presents the results of a national study to document how much time infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are spending with media, what types of media they’re using, and what role media are playing in their environments. The study has two parts: a nationally representative telephone survey of parents about their children’s media use; and a series of focus groups with parents, for a more in-depth discussion of issues raised in the survey. All statistical findings in this report are from the national survey; all quotes are from the focus groups.
The study concerns children ages 6 months to 6 years old. It focuses primarily on the role of electronic screen media in young people’s lives, including television, videos or DVDs, computers, and video games. Occasional references to "children 6 years and under" or "children six and under" are made as shorthand and refer to children ages 6 months to 6 years old. References to children "under two" refer to children 6-23 months old.