Screenagers Can't Find the Off Button

Young people ages 8–18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day engaged with electronic devices like computers, smart phones, and TVs, according to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). That's an hour more than KFF reported five years ago, and because kids are often multitasking when interacting with technology, they'e actually packing way more hours of media consumption into that seven and a half hours.

While the study claims no cause-and-effect links, it did find heavy media use (16 hours or more) associated with behavioral problems and lower grades.

Media has become more portable in the last few years, as well as more personally relevant to teens, with the explosion of user-generated content—meaning the next KFF study could report even higher consumption rates among youth. Study authors note that Twitter did not even exist when they began surveying consumers for this study.

Chicago Tribune's coverage of the KFF study delves into setting boundaries for media use and creating home environments that balance low- or no-tech and high-tech activities.

Are the same boundaries and balance of activities important in schools? Do you help students manage their media intake?