THE SCREEN-GEN: It may not surprise you that 90% of American 5- to 8- year olds use computers. But did you think the average age of first use is a tender 3.5 years old? 'Tis true, says Common Sense Media. For its report, "Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America," CSM surveyed 1,384 parents in the U.S. about their kids' digital habits. Interesting factoids abound, including unnerving ones: children 0-8 spend thrice as much time watching TV and videos (1:45 hours a day) as reading (0:29) on a typical day. But let's not be quick to judge, says Lisa Guernsey of the New American Foundation, who urges us to look at "content, context, and the individual child."
