The Scholarly Journal Childhood Education - 1582 Words

The purpose of the research article from the scholarly journal Childhood Education (2014) is to discuss the arguments currently surrounding the topic of media, technology, and screen time (MeTS) and its use with young children, and create an international dialogue on what steps should be taken in the future on how to responsibly use MeTS in a way that is productive and developmentally appropriate. The authors first discuss what global issues currently stand referring to MeTS, citing statistics of television, video game, and computer exposure among young children (children younger than 6). It is described that in the United States alone, â€Å"83% of children under 6 years old use†¦two hours with a television and DVD player, 1 hour with video†¦show more content†¦One source in particular, Clements and Sarama, (2003) present findings gathered from hundreds of previous studies. The data collated by these researchers in favor of using MeTS in various ways, such as teachi ng social skills via television programs. Other sources indicate children benefitting from computer use by displaying â€Å"high levels of intelligence, language skills, conceptual abilities, and problem solving†¦ [and that] playing games has been shown to be an important component of promoting visual and kinesthetic response-related skills† (Howard-Jones, 2011). In addition, one of the main proponents for using MeTS in the classroom detailed in the article is the exceptional education community, citing students with disabilities â€Å"such as Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, and deafness, gained learning advantages through computer tablets and iPads† (Shah, 2011) as well as the use of the Nintendo Wii to promote physical development and teaching social skills (Maliszewski, 2011). While many arguments are made for the using MeTS in a positive way, the counterargument voices speak just as loudly. The second argument posed, the concerns raised about MeTS use , contains many sources of literature which discuss content of media presented, which types of media are exposed, and the frequency of exposure to young children. The main advocate for limiting MeTS to young children cited in the article is the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood Alliance for Childhood