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Even the very youngest children in America are growing up immersed in media, spending hours a day watching TV and videos, using computers and playing video games, according to a study released recently by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Children ages 6 and under spend an average of two hours a day using screen media, about the same amount of time they spend playing outside, and well over the amount they spend reading or being read to (39 minutes). New interactive digital media have become an integral part of children's lives. Nearly half (48 percent) of children 6 and under have used a computer (31 percent of 0-3-year-olds and 70 percent of 4-6-year-olds). Just under a third (30 percent) have played video games (14 percent of 0-3-year-olds and 50 percent of 4-6-year-olds). Even the youngest children - those under 2 - are widely exposed to electronic media. Forty-three percent of those under 2 watch TV every day, and 26 percent have a TV in their bedroom (the American Academy of Pediatrics "urges parents to avoid television for children under 2 years old"). On any given day, two-thirds (68 percent) of children under 2 will use a screen media, for an average of just over two hours. "It's not just teenagers who are wired up and tuned in, it's babies in diapers as well," says Vicky Rideout, vice president and director of the Kaiser Family Foundation's Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health, the lead author of the study. "So much new media is being targeted at infants and toddlers, it's critical that we learn more about the impact it's having on child development." The study, "Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers," was conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Children's Digital Media Centers. It is the first publicly released national study of media use among the very youngest children, from 6 months to 6 years old. "These are astonishing data. Today's preschoolers are starting to use media much younger than we thought," says study co-author Ellen Wartella, dean of the College of Communication at the University of Texas. "Where previous generations were introduced to media through print, this generation's pathway is electronic. This is a trend we must follow." Copies of the report (#3378) are available on the Kaiser Family Foundation's website at www.kff.org. baby boomer bust Biggest generation isn't saving for retirement Those Baby Boomers - 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 and many of whom are raising children - have not done a good enough job saving for retirement. The most enrichened generation in American history is looking at not so much going broke, but at being forced to work a few extra years. That is the essence of a recently released government report that indicates that about half of the boomers aren't saving enough for the gray years. "Baby Boomers' Retirement Prospects: An Overview" notes that the paucity of savings in the past 15 years has "become a source of public concern." Too many retirees, the survey shows, will have to rely too heavily on Social Security. That means their expected standards of living will far well short. The study, compiled by the Congressional Budget Office in a review of 10 years of data, points out that boomers are generally better off financially than the previous generation that profited from the post-war boom. Their standard of living has grown as well, and that's a problem for long retirements. However, many of those Americans at risk can make up the shortfall by working additional years, though lower-income boomers could end up depending solely on government benefits to make ends meet. Certainly, a number of those households will have to turn to their children for financial help. A growing number also will need caretaking by children who are in the midst of raising their own children. This is a national concern because of the graying of this generation. Already, the oldest Baby Boomers turn 58 this year and, according to the study, the number of Americans ages 65 and older is expected to double by 2030. That will turn the percentage of the total population from 13 percent in 2002 to 20 percent by 2030. In part because of these figures, OC Family Magazine now devotes a column each issue to the Sandwich Generation. Two additional challenges made clear by the report: Boomers are living on average two years longer than their parents, which means they need more income in retirement. Also, there will be future pressure on government benefits as the tax-paying working class shrinks over the next several decades. There were 4.8 people ages 20-64 in 2000 for each person age 65 or older. By 2030, that number is expected to decline to about 2.9. toy hazard Be alert of what you buy for children Even with the passage of the 1994 Child Safety Protection Act, hazardous toys can still be found on store shelves across the country, according to a report recently released by the California Public interest Research Group (CALPIRG). "American toys are safer than ever," says Aubby Duggan of CALPIRG, "but parents must remain vigilant." According to CALPIRG, more than 212,000 people sought treatment in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries in 2002, of whom more than one-third were children under 5. Thirteen children died from toy-related injuries in 2002. The research in the CALPIRG report, titled "Trouble in Toyland," focused on four categories of toy dangers. Those are toys that pose choking hazards, toys that are dangerously loud, toys that could pose strangulation hazards or could form dangerous projectiles, and toys that contain toxic chemicals. Dr. Swapna Kudtarkar of the Pediatric Medical Group of Riverside, participated in a press conference held by CALPIRG at Riverside Community Hospital to introduce the new report. One of the key points regarding toy safety that she made is that parents should not buy toys with the idea that their children will "grow into" them. This often happens when parents buy bicycles. A younger child may not be able to properly handle a bicycle designed for even a slightly older child, and that could lead to injuries. The "Trouble in Toyland" report is available at www.toysafety.net. internet scandal Combating sex crimes against American children A new study, "Internet Sex Crimes Against Minors: The Response of Law Enforcement," shows that victories are being won in the fight to combat Internet-related sex crimes against children in the United States. The study estimates that more than 2,500 arrests were made for such crimes between July 1, 2000 and June 30, 2001. The study was commissioned by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and conducted by the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. It points out that cooperation among local, state and federal agencies and the use of undercover sting operations are among the main reasons for these recent successes. "This study provides the first research-based national overview of how sex offenders are using the Internet to exploit children and how law enforcement agencies are responding," says NCMEC President Ernie Allen. The study found that nearly 40 percent of arrested offenders were involved in criminal relationships with actual children, which were mostly reported to law enforcement by victims, their families and other individuals. A quarter of the arrests came from undercover operations in which agents posed as minors on the Internet and were solicited for sexual acts. About one-third of the arrests were of offenders who had not solicited victims, but had used the Internet to download and trade child pornography. As an indication of how serious these criminal activities are, the study states that 83 percent of those arrested who possessed child pornography had sexual images of children between the ages of 6 and 12, and 80 percent had images which explicitly depicted the sexual penetration of minors. to live and die Teens cast wary eye on own mortality The causes and nature of teen alienation are sources of ongoing concern for psychologists, educators and, indeed, all parents. It's such a critical issue that the Gallup Youth Survey regularly includes questions designed to gauge teens' feelings of alienation to track it over time. In connection with that effort, a 2003 poll asked an Internet panel of teens (ages 13 to 17) a battery of questions about possible causes of their own death. Included were items over which they would have no control - such as an auto accident -- as well as items in which they would take an active part, such as suicide or a drug overdose. Teens' greatest fears of an early death are by motor vehicle accident, which is the leading cause of teen death according to 2000 data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Forty-eight percent of teens said they are "somewhat likely" to die from a car accident before they reach adulthood. Teens express considerably less fear about other possible causes of early death, including from violent crimes (24 percent say somewhat likely), disease (21 percent), terrorist act (18 percent), plane crash (13 percent), suicide (10 percent), and drug overdose (8 percent). The fact that teens express considerably less fear about dying early from causes they have control over is heartening, though it is alarming that 10 percent say they are somewhat likely to die by suicide. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among teenagers ages 13 to 17. Similarly, only 8 percent have at least a moderate level of fear about dying from a drug overdose. It does not appear that the majority of teens are consumed with thoughts of dying. When Gallup asked teens how often they think about their own deaths, 32 percent said "not at all," and another 36% said "hardly at all." - By Steve Hanway, Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing Correspondent The Gallup Youth Survey was completed by 517 respondents, ages 13 to 17. Sampling error is ±5 percentage points. |
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