2020

THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS:

MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT
 Credits

Authors: Victoria Rideout, M.A., VJR Consulting

Michael B. Robb, Ph.D., Common Sense Media

Data analysis: Melissa Saphir, Ph.D., Saphir Research

Copy editor: Jennifer Robb

Designers: Allison Rudd and Dana K. Herrick

Suggested citation: Rideout, V., & Robb, M. B. (2020). The Common Sense census: Media use by kids age zero to eight, 2020. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense Media.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Key Findings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Key Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Overall Screen Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Television, Streaming, and Online Videos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Mobile Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Digital Divide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Gaming and Social Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Children Under 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Emerging Technologies: Virtual Reality, Smart Speakers, .

and Smartwatches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Parents’ Views About Children's Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Parent Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Appendix: 2020 Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

 COMMON SENSE IS GRATEFUL FOR THE GENEROUS SUPPORT
AND UNDERWRITING THAT FUNDED THIS RESEARCH REPORT:

Eva and Bill Price Bezos Family Foundation

Margaret and Will Hearst Carnegie Corporation of New York

A LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER
The Common Sense Census launched in 2011 with our first-ever look at the media habits of kids from birth to 8
years old. The goal of the census has been to act as a benchmark, and track media use over time to understand
the incredible and far-reaching presence that devices and media have in the lives of our youngest population.
This report is our fourth Zero to Eight study, and it comes amidst the most unprecedented of times.

This year, all of our data was collected before the start of the coronavirus pandemic—before the lockdowns,
the office closures, and the remote schooling that led to stress, uncertainty, and a general loosening of screen
time rules in households across the country. All of a sudden, parents who needed to balance full-time work and
child care turned to screens and devices to make it all work, or to stay connected to grandparents and other
family members who were no longer allowed to visit or provide support. When we began this year’s census we
had no idea what the coming months would hold, or how drastically life as we know it would change. But we
consider our timing fortuitous: We now have a clear snapshot of our youngest children’s media use before
screen time began to take on a different role and meaning in our lives. This snapshot will prove to be incredibly
valuable in future research as we explore the real impact of the coronavirus—and all of the challenges that James P. Steyer,
2020 has brought to bear—on both the use and the purpose of media in our children’s lives.
founder and CEO
This year’s findings give us a glimpse into what we might find on the other side of the pandemic: a world in
which the majority of our kids’ screen time takes place not watching traditional television, but instead online,
and in which access to technology continues to exacerbate the inequalities we know exist among families of
different races, ethnicities, and income levels.

• For the first time since we began the census, online video viewing dominates kids’ screen time. Our
youngest kids are spending 39 minutes a day watching online videos on platforms like YouTube and TikTok,
up from only 19 minutes in 2017. The growth in mobile device access is driving this increase, as nearly half
of 2- to 4-year-olds and more than two-thirds of 5- to 8-year-olds have their own tablet or smartphone.

• The growth in use of mobile media devices among lower-income, Black, and Hispanic/Latinx families is
also impacting the gap in screen time by race, ethnicity, and income, which has grown substantially
since 2017. Children in lower-income households are spending nearly two hours more with screens
than children from higher-income households. The difference is also pronounced among Black and
Hispanic/Latinx families compared to White families.

• Efforts to close the digital divide in home computer and high-speed internet access have stalled.
More than a quarter of lower-income families still lack internet access, and more than a third (37%) of
lower-income children do not have a computer in the home. While we know work has been done over
the course of the pandemic to close this gap, our lack of progress in recent years has made the climb to
digital equity far steeper than it should have been.

• Differences abound by race, ethnicity, and income around the perception of media as educational.
Black and Hispanic/Latinx, as well as lower-income parents, are more likely to say the media their kids
are viewing has an educational benefit.

The explosion of online video viewing matters when we consider YouTube’s role as the largest free platform
for online video in the world. In our sister report, Young Kids and YouTube: How Ads, Toys, and Games Dominate
Viewing, we undertook an analysis of videos watched by kids in this age group, and we saw firsthand what kids
are seeing in many online videos: an abundance of advertising and other content that we found disturbing, but
not much that qualified as truly educational.

At Common Sense, we have always been committed to fighting for technology that supports learning, health,
and opportunity, and solves for inequities by creating an equitable future for kids and families. The results of
this report highlight the pivotal moment in which we as a nation find ourselves around the role media and
technology play in our young children’s lives. As we slowly emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, we must
work to close the digital divide and increase the opportunities all families have to engage with media safely,
responsibly, and effectively. We hope this research is fuel to the fire for that conversation among our partners
in government and industry, as it will take all of our collective efforts to ensure our children reap the benefits
of media and technology equally.
vi THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 INTRODUCTION

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE findings from the fourth wave • New items include findings on audiobooks, podcasts, virtual
of Common Sense Media’s ongoing series of surveys about the reality, smart speakers, and smartwatches.
media lives of young children in the United States. The series
• The data covers a wide range of measures, including:
began nearly a decade ago, in 2011; over this period, more than
5,700 respondents have been surveyed. • The frequency of children’s use of various types of media
and the amount of time they spend in various media
As far as we are aware, this is the only nationally representative,
activities.
probability-based study tracking the use of media by children
from birth through age 8 in the United States. We do this study • The context of their media use (including the home
because of our conviction that media and technology are abso- media environment, co-use with parents, and the use of
lutely central to children’s lives. Academically, the world in which media during meals and before bed).
today’s children are growing up requires a high degree of immer-
• The types of media content used (such as genres of
sion in and use of media and technology. Entertainment, social
online videos children watch, use of educational
life, and play are all increasingly digital. The activities children
programming across devices, and how media content
engage in, and the content and messages to which they are
is selected).
exposed, are based to a large extent on the media-related choices
they and their parents make. We can no longer treat media as an • Parents’ attitudes about various concerns that have been
afterthought when it comes to child development, education, and raised about children and media.
well-being. Differences in access and use may reflect differences
• Parents’ experiences with the impact of media on their
in opportunities and risks that researchers, policymakers, educa-
child (for learning, creativity, and social and emotional
tors, parents, and health care providers need to be well equipped
development).
to address.

The final interviews for the survey took place on March 13, In addition, the report explores differences in media usage by
2020—less than a week before much of the country was under age, gender, parent education, household income, and race/
“stay-at-home” orders due to the coronavirus pandemic. Clearly, ethnicity. The use of a probability-based methodology means
once the pandemic reached the United States, our relationship that we have a sample of parents that is truly representative.
with media changed. Children could no longer go to school, visit Parents from across the country were surveyed, including those
friends, or sometimes even go outdoors. Parents and children who are wealthy and not, the highly educated and those who
were suddenly at home together all day—learning, working, and never finished high school, those from two-parent and single-
playing—for months on end. How the pandemic is changing pat- parent families, and those representing a diversity of racial and
terns of media use is a topic Common Sense will address in the ethnic groups.
next wave of this survey.
As we think about how the coronavirus pandemic may be chang-
For now, this report paints a portrait of what families’ media lives ing family media habits and our direction in the future, it is
looked like on the precipice of change. As such, this report offers important to know where we started—as well as the implications
a unique opportunity to understand the evolution of media’s role for educators, policymakers, parents, and child advocates.
in young people’s lives over the past decade.

• The findings cover the full spectrum of media, from print to

audio to video, including reading, listening to music, watch-
ing television or online videos, and gaming.

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 1
POTENTIAL SPOT FOR PHOTO
 KEY FINDINGS

1. On average, children from birth to

age 8 use about two and a half hours
FIGURE A. Screen Use, by Activity, 2020
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, proportion of average daily screen
(2:24) of screen media a day. time devoted to …

Daily use ranges from 49 minutes among those younger than 2,

1%
to two and a half hours (2:30) among 2- to 4-year-olds, and more 1%
3% 6%
than three hours (3:05) among 5- to 8-year-olds.

Screen time also varies a lot from child to child: In any given day, 16%
nearly a quarter (23%) of 0- to 8-year-olds don’t use any screen ◼ TV/video viewing
◼ Gaming
media, while a similar proportion (24%) spend more than four 73% ◼ Reading (electronic)
hours with screens. Watching television and videos continues ◼ Homework
to be the main reason children use screen devices, accounting ◼ Video-chatting
◼ Other/unknown
for nearly three-quarters (73%) of all screen time. Reading,
homework, and video-chatting occupy a tiny portion (5%) of
overall screen use. The amount of screen media children use
has remained largely consistent since this series of surveys began
in 2011, when total screen use was two hours and 16 minutes
per day. On average, boys use 35 minutes more screen media FIGURE B. Average Daily Screen Use, by Age, 2020
than girls do per day (2:40 vs. 2:05), including 17 minutes more Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average daily amount of screen media
watching television and videos, and 17 minutes more playing used (hours:minutes)
video games.
3:05

2:30

:49

Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 3
FIGURE C. Television and Video Viewing, by Type, 2020
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, proportion of total TV/video viewing 2. Online videos now dominate
children’s screen time.
that occurred through …

For the first time, watching online videos on sites like YouTube now
constitutes the largest proportion of children’s total TV and video
11%
viewing, with an average of 39 minutes a day—more than double
◼ Online videos the amount of time devoted to online videos three years ago (:19).
37%
23% (YouTube/other) Next is 30 minutes a day spent watching content through a
◼ Subscription service
(Netflix/Hulu/other)
streaming service, while just 18 minutes is devoted to watching TV
◼ Television shows at the time they air, and another six minutes to watching
29%
(live/recorded/on demand) shows that were recorded earlier or watched on demand.
◼ DVDs
More than a third (34%) of children age 8 and younger watch
online videos every day, up from 24% three years ago. Nearly half
(46%) of 2- to 4-year-olds and more than two-thirds (67%) of
FIGURE D. Home Internet Access, by Income, 2011 to 2020 5- to 8-year-olds have their own mobile device (tablet or smart-
0- to 8-year-olds with access to the internet at home phone), making online viewing even more accessible.

96% 94% Higher income

3.
92%
86%
Efforts to close the digital divide
in home computer and internet access
74% 74% Lower income have stalled.
Access to the internet in the home has been stuck at the same
level since 2017, with more than a quarter (26%) of lower-income
46% families lacking it. And more than a third (37%) of children from
42%
lower-income households do not have a computer in the home.
At a time when remote learning has become essential, this failure
2011 2013 2017 2020
to stem the divide could be devastating.

FIGURE E. Home Computer Access, by Income, 2011 to 2020

0- to 8-year-olds with a laptop or desktop computer at home

97% 95% Higher income

91% 90%

72%

63% Lower income

53%
48%

2011 2013 2017 2020

Note: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; higher income is more than $75,000 a year.

4 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
4. The gap in screen use by
income, race, and ethnicity has
FIGURE F. Screen Media Use, by Demographic, 2011 to 2020
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average screen use per day

INCOME
grown substantially. 3:48 Lower income
(<$30,000/year)
3:29
Children in lower-income households spend an average of nearly
two hours a day more with screen media than those in higher-
income homes (3:48 vs. 1:52). In 2011, the difference in screen
2:32
time between children in lower- and higher-income homes was 2:17
an average of 40 minutes a day; in 2017 it jumped to 1:39 a day;
and in 2020 there is a 1:56 difference in daily screen use between
the two groups. Similarly, Hispanic/Latinx and Black children 1:52 1:48 1:50 1:52 Higher income
(>$75,000/year)
spend more time with screen media (3:03 and 4:09, respectively)
per day than White children do (1:52), and the difference between 2011 2013 2017 2020
groups has been growing. (In previous waves of the survey, the
largest difference between White and Black children was 1:12 a RACE/ETHNICITY
day; today the difference is 2:17 a day). There are similar differ- 4:09 Black

ences with screen use by parent education. One of the key drivers
behind this growing differential in screen use is the growth in
mobile media use among children in lower-income, Black, and 3:07

Hispanic/Latinx families. 2:51

3:03 Hispanic/Latinx
2:26
2:36

5.
2:35
1:57
2:11
Black parents are much more 1:55 1:58
1:52 White
likely than White parents to perceive
educational benefits to their children 2011 2013 2017 2020
from screen media.
Parents in lower-income homes are also more likely to see posi-
tive effects of screen media than parents in higher-income
FIGURE G. Parents’ Views About Media and Learning,
homes. Thirty-nine percent of Black parents vs. 19% of White by Race/Ethnicity, 2020
parents say the media their child uses help their learning “a lot,” Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who say …
as do 38% of lower-income vs. 17% of higher-income parents.
Learning is a very important reason for their child’s use of screen media
Indeed, half of Black parents say that learning is a “very impor-
50%
tant” reason their child uses screen media, compared to 31% of
37%
White parents.
31%

Media their child uses helps learning a lot

39%

32%

19%

Strongly agree they are satisfied with amount

and quality of child's educational media
33%
◼ Black
27%
◼ Hispanic/Latinx
15% ◼ White

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 5
FIGURE H. Parents’ Views on the Effects of Children’s Screen
6. Parents of 0- to 8-year-olds have
overwhelmingly positive views of the
Media Use, 2020
Among parents of 0- to 8-year-old screen users, percent who screen media their children use.
say their child’s media use mostly helps/hurts their …
The majority don’t report being concerned about the amount of
Learning time their kids spend with screens, the impact screen media has

72% 8%
on their child, the quality of the content available to them, or the
challenges of getting their children to disengage with screens
Creativity when it’s time for other activities.
60% 11%
Six in 10 (60%) parents whose children use screen media say
their child spends “the right amount of time” with screens, and
Social skills
75% say they are satisfied with the amount and quality of the
34% 19%
educational media available to their children. Nearly three-
Physical activity quarters (72%) say the media their child uses help the child’s
◼ Helps learning, and 60% say media help the child’s creativity. Most
16% 43%
◼ Hurts (59%) say they don’t find it difficult to get their child to stop using

Note: Includes those saying media use helps or hurts “a lot” and “a little.”
media when they ask, although 40% find it at least somewhat
Doesn’t show percent who say “Makes no difference one way or the other.” difficult. The only aspect of children’s media use that parents are
clearly more negative than positive about is its effect on children’s
physical activity: Forty-three percent say it has a negative effect.

7. The amount of time children from

lower-income families spend reading
has increased.
Both the frequency and amount of time spent reading among
children from lower-income households have increased. The
proportion of children in lower-income households who are
daily readers—that is, who read or are read to every day—has
increased by 10 percentage points over the past three years, from
40% to 50%. (The rate of daily reading has not changed among
the other income groups.) The daily time spent reading among
children from lower-income families is up by an average of 17
minutes per day (from 26 to 43 minutes a day). E-reading now
accounts for 10 minutes a day, on average, among lower-income
children, compared to just three minutes a day among their peers
in higher-income families.

6 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
8. Among 5- to 8-year-olds, media
use becomes more independent, FIGURE I. Parents’ Views About Children’s Media Time,
by Age, 2020
mobile, and social than among Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who say …
younger children.
47%
Most screen use among children this age occurs without their
parents. Parental co-use goes down dramatically as the child’s 40%
44%
age goes up: The proportion of parents who say they use media
“most of the time” with their 5- to 8-year-old child ranges from
11% to 19%, depending on the media activity (compared to 37% ◼ It is difficult to get
29% their child to stop
to 62% for parents of children under 2). More than two-thirds
using media
(67%) of 5- to 8-year-olds have their own mobile device, and on 17%
◼ Their child spends
average, children in this age group spend an hour and 15 minutes too much time
16% with media
a day using mobile media. Among 5- to 8-year-olds, 44% of
parents say their child spends too much time with media, and Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8
nearly half (47%) say that it can be difficult to get their child to
stop using media.

Among the 95% in this age group who watch online videos, the
children themselves are most likely to select what to watch
(rather than the parent), either through their own searching, FIGURE J. Choosing/Co-Viewing Online Videos, by Age, 2020
autoplay, or “suggested” videos on the platform or from channels
the child follows. 61%

57%
38%

26% Child chooses videos

28% 19% Parent chooses videos
18% Parent co-views
videos with the child
2% most of the time
10%

Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 7
POTENTIAL SPOT FOR PHOTO
 METHODOLOGY

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE results of a nationally representa- Over-samples. Over-samples of Black (n = 253) and Hispanic/
tive, probability-based online survey of 1,440 parents of children Latinx (n = 298) respondents were included in the survey. Those
age 8 or younger, conducted from February 18 through March 13, samples were then weighted back to their representative level for
2020. The survey is the fourth in a series of cross-sectional track- analyzing the survey results as a whole.
ing surveys conducted by Common Sense. Previous surveys were
Margin of error. The margin of error for the full sample at a 95%
conducted in 2011, 2013, and 2017.
confidence level is +/- 3.11%.
The survey was designed by Common Sense and VJR Consulting
Respondent compensation. Respondents received a cash equiva-
and fielded (in English and Spanish) by the research firm Ipsos,
lent of $5 for their participation; some Black respondents
using their probability-based web panel KnowledgePanel ©.
received an additional $5 or $10 equivalent to improve response
The project was directed by Michael Robb, director of research
rates among this lower-incidence demographic group.
at Common Sense, and Victoria Rideout of VJR Consulting.
Data analyses were conducted by Ms. Rideout and by Melissa Treatment of outliers. Of the 1,457 qualified completed surveys,
Saphir of Saphir Research Services. The report was written by 17 cases were removed from the data file; four for “speeding”
Ms. Rideout. through the survey and refusing every question and 13 outliers
who were excluded due to reporting media use times of greater
Text of the survey. To the extent possible, the 2020 survey instru-
than 24 hours for their child.
ment duplicates the questions asked in previous years, with
updated items reflecting newer trends. The full text of the ques- Weighting. The use of probability-based recruitment methods for
tionnaire (excluding screener) is included in the Appendix to this the KnowledgePanel is designed to ensure that the resulting
report. In cases where the question wording or structure has sample properly represents the population of the United States
changed, those changes are noted in the relevant tables. geographically, demographically (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnic-
ity, and income), and in terms of home internet access.
Survey sample. KnowledgePanel is the first and largest online
Study-specific post-stratification weights were applied once the
research panel that is representative of the entire U.S. population.
data was finalized, to adjust for any survey nonresponse and to
Hence, it is the largest national sampling frame from which fully
ensure the proper distributions for the specific target population
representative samples can be generated to produce statistically
(in this case, parents of 0- to 8-year-olds). Geodemographic
valid inferences for study populations. Panel members are ran-
distributions for this population were obtained from March 2019
domly recruited through probability-based sampling, and
supplemental data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current
households are provided with access to the internet and hard-
Population Survey. The following table indicates how the
ware if needed. Ipsos recruits panel members using address-based
unweighted and weighted samples compare to the benchmarks,
sampling methods. Once household members are recruited for
using Census Bureau categories.
the panel and assigned to a study sample, they are notified by
email for survey taking, or panelists can visit their online member
page to take the survey. The use of a probability sample means
the results are substantially more generalizable to the U.S. popu-
lation than are results based on “convenience” or “opt-in”
samples. Convenience and opt-in samples include only respon-
dents who are already online and/or who volunteer through word
of mouth or advertising to participate in surveys.

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 9
DEMOGRAPHICS OF SURVEY SAMPLE

Unweighted Benchmark Weighted

Among U.S. parents of children age 0 to 8 Unweighted n percentage percentage* percentage

Race/ethnicity
‹ White, non-Hispanic 795 55% 57% 57%
‹ Hispanic 298 21% 22% 22%
‹ Black, non-Hispanic 253 18% 11% 10%
‹ Other, non-Hispanic 60 4% 9% 9%
‹ 2+ races, non-Hispanic 34 2% 1% 1%

Language
‹ Hispanic, bilingual (English and Spanish) 158 11% 13% 13%
‹ Hispanic, Spanish dominant 51 4% 5% 5%

Parent gender
‹ Male 781 54% 45% 55%
‹ Female 659 46% 55% 45%

Region
‹ Northeast 182 13% 16% 15%
‹ Midwest 334 23% 21% 21%
‹ South 579 40% 38% 38%
‹ West 345 24% 24% 25%

Parent education
‹ Less than high school 84 6% 10% 9%
‹ High school diploma 272 19% 24% 24%
‹ Some college 380 26% 25% 25%
‹ College degree or higher 704 49% 41% 41%

Household income
‹ <$25,000 204 14% 10% 10%
‹ $25,000 to $49,999 288 20% 18% 17%
‹ $50,000 to $74,999 223 15% 17% 17%
‹ $75,000 to $99,999 205 14% 15% 15%
‹ $100,000 to $149,999 284 20% 20% 20%
‹ $150,000+ 236 16% 21% 21%

*March 2019 Current Population Survey Supplement

10 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Demographic Definitions more races, none of which is Hispanic. Where findings are broken
out by race/ethnicity, results are presented for White, Black,
Age. Findings are presented for the full survey sample of 0- to and Hispanic/Latinx children; the sample sizes for the other
8-year-olds, and for three subgroups, based on stages of child racial and ethnic groups were not large enough to examine
development. The subgroups are from birth to 23 months (babies individually.
and toddlers); from age 2 through 4 (preschoolers); and from age
5 through 8 (school-age children).
Presentation of Data in the Text
Gender. As part of the screener for the survey, parents were asked
whether their child was male, female, or other/nonbinary. Notation of hours and minutes. Throughout the report, times spent
Findings are presented for the full survey sample, and where with media are presented in hours:minutes. For example, two
relevant for male and female children. (The sample size for the hours and 10 minutes is presented as 2:10, and 10 minutes is
“other/nonbinary” category was not sufficient to present those presented as :10.
findings separately.)
Percentages. Totals will not always add up to 100 due to rounding,
Household income. For purposes of this report, “lower-income” is multiple response options, or because they do not include
defined as families earning less than $30,000 a year; “middle- respondents who marked “don’t know” or did not respond to that
income” includes those earning between $30,000 and $75,000 particular question.
a year; and “higher-income” is families earning more than
Statistical significance. Where relevant, differences over time or
$75,000 a year. For the purpose of making comparisons over
between demographic groups have been tested for statistical
time, we have retained these income categories from 2011. We
significance. Unless otherwise noted, findings are described in
recognize that there are differing definitions of income level and
the text in a comparative manner (e.g., “more than,” “less than”)
that these standards change over time. For reference, the federal
only if the differences are statistically significant at the level of
poverty guideline for a family of four in the United States in 2020
p < .05. In tables where statistical significance has been tested,
is $26,000,1 and the median household income as of 2019 is
superscripts (using letters such as a, b, or c) are used to indicate
approximately $62,000. 2
whether results differ at a statistically significant level within a set
Parent education. Levels of parent education are collapsed into of columns or rows (e.g., parent race/ethnicity, or 2011 vs. 2020).
three categories for this report, using the parent who attained the Data points that share a common superscript, and data points
highest level of education: high school diploma or less (includes that have no superscript at all, are not significantly different from
those who did not finish high school, those with a GED, and high each other.
school graduates); some college (including an associate degree
Estimating time spent with media. Findings that concern the
or incomplete bachelor’s degree); and college degree or higher
amount of time children spend in various media activities are
(includes those with a bachelor’s or graduate degree).
based on parents’ responses to questions about their child’s
Race/ethnicity. The terms “African American” and “Black” are activities the previous day. Parents were asked about a specific,
used interchangeably in the report to refer to any respondents randomly selected focal child in their household. No parent’s
who self-identify as “Black, non-Hispanic.” The term “White” estimate of their child’s media use is likely to be exact. But by
refers to any respondents who self-identify as “White, non- asking parents to focus on a specific day in their child’s life (the
Hispanic.” The term “Hispanic/Latinx” refers to any respondents day prior to taking the survey), we hope to elicit more precise
who self-identify as Hispanic. All respondents, including those estimates of children’s media use than by asking about a “typical
who are not part of these three major categories, are included day.” Surveying was spread out over the seven days of the
in results based on the total sample. This includes individuals week to avoid any bias toward either weekdays or weekend
who self-identify as another racial group (for example, Asian days. Unless otherwise noted, the results presented in this report
American, Pacific Islander, or Native American) or as two or are the mean time among all respondents, reflecting both the

1. Department of Health and Human Services. (2020). Poverty guidelines. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).
https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines
2. US Census Bureau. (2019). U.S. median household income up in 2018 from 2017. United States Census Bureau.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/09/us-median-household-income-up-in-2018-from-2017.html

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 11
proportion of children who engage in an activity and the amount anything else visual on a smartphone, tablet, iPod touch, or
of time they spend doing so. On occasion we also report time similar device, such as taking or viewing pictures or videos,
spent "among users," which is the average (mean) time spent looking things up, social networking, or using other types of apps
among those who engaged in that activity the previous day. not already covered in the previous activities. Does not include
When times for various activities are summed, the sums do not listening to music or other audio (e.g., podcasts or audiobooks).
account for the possibility that children may have been engaging
Smart speaker. A device that can respond to verbal commands,
in more than one media activity at a time (e.g., playing a mobile
play music, and answer questions (e.g., Amazon Echo, Dot,
game while watching television). There is no objective, passive
Google Home or Apple HomePod).
way of measuring the time children spend engaging in the full
range of media activities covered in this report, or measuring the Smart TV. A TV set that is connected to the internet, whether
amount of their media time that may have been spent engaging directly or through an add-on device (e.g., Apple TV or Roku) to
in more than one media activity. download or stream TV shows or movies onto the TV set.

Smartwatch. A watch that can make phone calls, track the wearer,
Media Definitions and display games and text messages.

Console gaming. Includes games played on console players (e.g., Social gaming. Online gaming in which the player can play and
Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii), or other gaming devices that connect interact with other users.
to a TV set (e.g., the Nintendo Switch).
Streaming. Watching TV shows or movies through a subscription
Educational game device. Includes devices designed specifically service (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, or Vudu) or
for children for educational purposes (e.g., LeapFrog, LeapPad, or through a network’s website. Content may be watched on a TV
VTech laptop). set, computer, or mobile device.

E-reading. Reading on a tablet, phone, or e-reader (e.g., a Kindle). Subscription service. A service that enables users to stream or
Includes time the child spends reading or being read to by download TV shows or movies (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus,
someone else. or Amazon Prime Video).

Internet access. Any internet access other than dial-up, such as Tablet. An iPad or similar device (e.g., a Galaxy Tab or other
cable, wireless, or DSL. Participants without internet access have Android tablet, Microsoft Surface, or Kindle Fire). Does not
dial-up access or no access. include devices designed exclusively as e-readers.

Live television. Content watched on a TV set on a broadcast or Television. Includes TV shows or movies watched on a TV set,
cable station as it was aired (i.e., not time-shifted). including “live TV” or content recorded earlier on a DVR, or
watched through video on demand.
Mobile media. “Any mobile device” and “mobile media use”
includes smartphones, tablets, and other devices (e.g., the iPod Video games. Includes gaming on a console video game player or
touch) that can connect to the Internet, display videos, and other device that connects to a TV set (e.g., an Xbox, PlayStation,
download apps. Switch, or Wii), a handheld player (e.g., a Gameboy or Nintendo
DS), a computer, or a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet).
Online videos. Includes watching videos on sites like YouTube or
TikTok. Virtual reality. Games or movies that are watched through a
special headset (e.g., Oculus Rif t, Google Cardboard or
Screen media. Refers to all visually based screen activities, includ-
PlayStation VR), in which the user is immersed in a multidimen-
ing watching television, DVDs/videotapes, online videos, or
sional media environment that responds to their movements.
programming through a subscription service (e.g., Netflix, Hulu,
or Amazon Prime Video); playing video games (including
console, computer, or mobile); electronic reading on a device
(e.g., a smartphone, tablet, or e-reader); using a virtual reality
headset; video-chatting (e.g., on Skype or FaceTime); doing
homework or schoolwork on a computer or tablet; and doing

12 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 KEY TABLES

TABLE A. Time Spent with Media, by Activity, 2011 to 2020

Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average amount of time spent in a typical day … 2011 2013 2017 2020

Watching television/videos 1:44a 1:27b 1:40a 1:45a

‹ Television 1:09a :51b :37c :24 d
‹ As aired N/A :39a :27b :18c
‹ Recorded/on demand N/A :12a :10a :06b
‹ Online/subscription :04 a :14b :46c 1:09d
‹ Streaming/subscription N/A N/A :27 :30
‹ Online videos (YouTube/social/other) N/A N/A :19 a†
:39b
‹ DVDs‡ :31a :22b :17c :12d

Reading/being read to :29a :28 :29 :32b

‹ Print :29 :28 :26 :28
‹ Electronic N/A N/A :03 :04

Playing video games :25 :23 :25 :23

‹ Console games :14 a
:10 ac
:06 b
:07bc
‹ Computer games :08a :05b :03c :03c
‹ Mobile games :03a :08b :16c :13c

Listening to audio :29a :20b :18b :27a

‹ Music :29a :20bc :18b :25ac
‹ Podcasts/stories/audiobooks N/A N/A N/A :02

Other digital activities :07a :05a :11b :12b

‹ Video-chatting N/A N/A :01 :01
‹ Homework/educational §
:05 :03 a
:02 b
:02
‹ Virtual reality N/A N/A
* *
‹ Anything else# :02a :02a :08b :09b
Total screen media 2:16a 1:55b 2:19ac 2:24c
Total media 3:14a 2:43b 3:06a 3:19a

*Less than one minute but more than zero.

†
In this table in the 2017 report, “online videos” did not include the “other” category, so the total time was listed as 17 minutes instead of 19.
‡
Prior to 2020, this item also included time spent watching videotapes.
§
Prior to 2020, time spent doing homework digitally was measured on computers; in 2020 tablets were also included.
#
Such as taking or looking at photos or videos, looking things up, social networking, or using other types of activities or apps not already covered.
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those that share a common superscript, do not differ significantly.
Significance should be read across rows (over time).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 13
TABLE B. Time Spent with Media, by Activity and Age, 2020

Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average amount of time spent in a typical day … Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8

Watching television/videos :45a 2:02b 2:00b

‹ Television :18a :25b :27b
‹ As aired :16 :18 :20
‹ Recorded/on demand :02 a
:07 b
:07b
‹ Online/subscription :17a 1:21b 1:24b
‹ Streaming/subscription :13a :33b :35b
‹ Online videos (YouTube/social/other) :04a :48b :49b
‹ DVDs† :10 :16a :09b

Reading/being read to :28 :33 :34

‹ Print :26 :28 :29
‹ Electronic :02 :05 :05
a b
Playing video games :01 :15 :40c
‹ Console games :00a :04b :14 c
‹ Computer games
*
a
:01a :05b
‹ Mobile games :01a :10b :21c

Listening to audio :35a :33a :20b

‹ Music :34 a :31a :17b
‹ Podcasts/stories/audiobooks :01 :02 :03
a b
Other digital activities :01 :08 :20c
‹ Video-chatting
* :01 :01
‹ Homework/educational
* *
‡ a a
:05b
‹ Virtual reality :00
* *
‹ Anything else §
:01a :07b :14 c
Total screen media :49a 2:30b 3:05c
Total media 1:50a 3:31b 3:54b

*Less than one minute but more than zero.

†
Prior to 2020, this item also included time spent watching videotapes.
‡
Prior to 2020, time spent doing homework digitally was measured on computers; in 2020 tablets were also included.
§
Such as taking or looking at photos or videos, looking things up, social networking, or using other types of activities or apps not already covered.
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance
should be read across rows (between age groups).

14 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TABLE C. Media in the Home, 2011 to 2020

Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who live in homes with … 2011 2013 2017 2020

Television
‹ TV set 98%a 96%b 98%a 97%ab
‹ DVD player 80%a 78%a 86%b N/A
‹ Internet-connected television N/A 30% a
75% b
84%c
‹ Subscription service (e.g., Netflix, Hulu) N/A N/A 72%a 87%b
‹ Cable/satellite 68%ab 70%a 65%b 45%c
‹ DVR 35%a 28%b 44%c N/A
‹ HD antenna N/A N/A 29% N/A

Computer
‹ Computer (laptop or desktop) 72%a 76%a 91%b 88%b
‹ Internet access 68%a 69%a 90%b 89%b

Mobile
‹ Any mobile device 52%a 75%b 98%c 98%c
‹ Smartphone 41%a 63%b 95%c 97%d
‹ Tablet 8%a 40%b 78%c 75%c
‹ iPod Touch 21%a 27%b 21%a 20%a

Video game player

‹ Console video game player 67% 64%a 69%b 67%
‹ Hand-held video game player 44% a
35% b
31% c
N/A

Other
‹ E-reader (e.g., Kindle, Nook) 9%a 21%b 29%c 31%c
‹ Smart speaker (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home) N/A N/A 9%a 41%b
‹ Virtual reality headset N/A N/A 11% 11%

Child’s own device

‹ Any mobile device 3%a 12%b 45%c 48%c
‹ Tablet
*
a
7%b 42%c 44%c
‹ Smartphone
* *
a a
4%b 8%c
‹ iPod Touch or similar 3%a 5%b 5%b 4%ab
‹ Educational game device 29%ab 26%ac 33%b 25%c
‹ Hand-held game player 24%a 21%a 14%b N/A
‹ Smartwatch N/A N/A N/A 5%

*Greater than zero but less than one-half percent.

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance
should be read across rows (over time).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 15
TABLE D. Daily Media Use, by Activity, 2011 to 2020

Among 0- to 8-year-olds, the percent who engage in each activity .

at least once or more per day 2011 2013 2017 2020
‹ Read/are read to 58% 60% 57% 59%
‹ Any television/videos 67% a
61% b
60% b
60%b
‹ Watch television 65%a 58%b 53%c 51%c
‹ Watch online videos N/A N/A 24%a 34%b
‹ Watch DVDs/videotapes 25%a 18%b 11%c N/A
‹ Use mobile device 8% a†
17% b
28% c
30%c
‹ Use a computer 14%ab 14%a 11%bc 9%c
‹ Hand-held video game N/A 7%a 4%b N/A
‹ Console video game 9% a
6% b
6% b
7%ab‡
‹ Read an ebook 2%a 4%b N/A N/A
‹ Listen to podcasts/stories/audiobooks N/A N/A N/A 5%
†
In 2011, question included hand-held video game players.
‡
In 2020, this item included hand-held players such as the Switch.
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance
should be read across rows (over time).

16 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 OVERALL SCREEN USE

IN EARLY 2020, PRIOR to the school closings and orders to stay

at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, children age 8 and FIGURE 1. Screen Use, by Hours, 2020
younger used an average of two hours and 24 minutes a day of Among 0- to 8-year-olds, proportion who use screen media for …

screen media (and an additional 55 minutes of nonscreen media,

such as reading print and listening to music and other audio
content; see Table A on page 13). Within that average daily use,
23% 24%
there is a lot of variation: In any given day, about a quarter (23%)
of children don’t use any screen media, a quarter (27%) use
screen media between one and two hours, and a quarter (24%) 12% ◼ >4 hours
14%
use screen content for more than four hours (see Figure 1). ◼ 2 to 4 hours
◼ 1 to 2 hours
27%
Looking at the big picture, the broad pattern of screen media use ◼ <1 hour
◼ None
among children age 8 and younger has remained fairly stable over
the past nine years of this tracking survey. That is, the vast major-
ity of screen time (73%) is devoted to watching television and
videos (see Figure 2), although the platforms and devices have
shifted (live television and DVDs down; mobile and streamed FIGURE 2. Screen Use, by Activity, 2020
content up). The amount of time spent gaming has remained Among 0- to 8-year-olds, proportion of average daily screen
remarkably steady (accounting for 16% of screen use in 2020), time devoted to …
although once again the devices used have shifted (console and
computer games down; mobile games up). 1%
1%
3% 6%
And—at least prior to the coronavirus pandemic—electronic
reading, homework, and video-chatting still account for only a
16%
very small portion of children’s screen use (3%, 1%, and 1% of ◼ TV/video viewing
total screen use, respectively). The total amount of screen use in ◼ Gaming
a typical day averages just eight minutes more today than in 2011 73% ◼ Reading (electronic)
◼ Homework
(see Table A on page 13). Nearly half (49%) of children often
◼ Video-chatting
(19%) or sometimes (30%) watch television or videos, or play ◼ Other/unknown
video games in the hour before bedtime.

Demographic differences. Use of screen media varies substantially

by age (see Table B on page 14). Toddlers and babies younger than
2 average 49 minutes a day of screen media; 2- to 4-year-olds
average two and a half hours a day (2:30); and 5- to 8-year-olds
just over three hours (3:05). In any given day, more than half
(56%) of children under 2 don’t use screen media at all, com-
pared to 16% of 2- to 4-year-olds and 13% of 5- to 8-year-olds.

On average, boys use 35 minutes more screen media than girls

do per day (2:40 vs. 2:05). This includes 17 minutes more per day
with television and videos than girls, and 17 minutes more per day

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 17
playing video games (see Table 1). In previous waves of the
survey, differences in overall screen use between boys and girls FIGURE 3. Screen Media Time, by Demographic Group, 2020
were not statistically significant. Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average time spent with screen media
per day
There are large differences in total screen time among children
from different socioeconomic groups, including race/ethnicity, Income

household income, and parent education (see Figure 3). For Lower 3:48

example, Black children average 2:17 more screen use per day Middle 2:43

than White children, and an hour (1:06) more than Hispanic/ Higher 1:52

Latinx children. Looked at by family income, children in lower-

Parent education
income households average about an hour (1:05) more per day
High school 3:12
in screen use than children from middle-income families, and
Some college 2:34
almost two hours (1:56) more than children in higher-income
College degree 1:38
families.

Race/ethnicity
Black 4:09

Hispanic/Latinx 3:03

White 1:52
TABLE 1. Screen Media Use, by Activity and Gender, 2020
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average time spent with screen
Gender
media per day
Boys 2:40
All Boys Girls Girls 2:05

Watching television/videos 1:45 1:52 a

1:35 b 28%
Notes: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; middle income is $30,000 to
‹ Television (as aired, :24 :32 a
:13b $75,000 a year; and higher income is more than $75,000 a year. Within each
recorded, or on demand) demographic category, differences between groups are statistically significant
(p < .05).
‹ DVDs :12 :10 :13
‹ Online (YouTube, social :39 :43 :34
videos, other)
‹ Streaming service :30 :27 :22

Reading (screen only) :04 :04 :05

Playing video games :23 :31a :14b

‹ Console games :07 :13a :02b
‹ Computer games :03 :03 :01
‹ Mobile games :13 :15 a
:11b

Other digital activities :12 :13 :11

‹ Video-chatting :01 :01 :01
‹ Homework (screen only) :02 :02 :03
‹ Other :09 :10 :07
a
Total screen media 2:24 2:40 2:05b

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05) between
girls and boys. Items in the gender columns without a superscript, or those with
the same superscript, do not differ significantly.

18 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
While White children’s screen usage is about the same as it was
in 2011 (1:52 a day in 2020, compared to 1:55 a day in 2011), Black TABLE 2. Screen Media Use Within Demographic Group over
children’s screen use has increased substantially over time, from Time, 2011 to 2020
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average screen media use per day
3:07 in 2011 to 4:09 today (see Table 2). Similarly, the difference
in screen use between the lowest and highest income groups was 2011 2013 2017 2020
40 minutes a day in 2011, but has grown to nearly two hours
Race/Ethnicity
(1:56) today. Screen use among children in lower-income house-
‹ Black 3:07a 2:26a 2:51a 4:09b
holds has increased an average of 1:16 a day since 2011 (from 2:32
‹ Hispanic/Latinx 2:35a 1:57b 2:36a 3:03a
to 3:48 a day), whereas among those from higher-income house-
holds, it has stayed exactly the same (1:52 in both 2011 and ‹ White 1:55a 1:58a 2:11b 1:52a
2020). Income

It appears that the growing differential in screen use by race and ‹ Lower 2:32a 2:17a 3:29b 3:48b
income may be due to both the expansion in access to mobile ‹ Middle 2:18 2:01a 2:25b 2:43b
devices, and the fact that mobile media use has been embraced ‹ Higher 1:52 1:48a 1:50 1:52b
much more enthusiastically among lower-income families than
Parent education
higher-income families, and among children of color versus
White children. In 2011 and 2013, mobile device use among 0- to ‹ High school or less 2:39ab 2:14 a 2:50bc 3:12c

8-year-olds was very limited across all demographics. But as ‹ Some college 2:18 2:11a 2:37b 2:34b
smartphone and tablet usage began to accelerate in 2017, it grew ‹ College degree 1:33 1:31 a 1:37b 1:38b
even faster among African American children and children from
lower-income families; that trend became even more pronounced
in 2020. For example, in 2011 White children averaged four
minutes a day of mobile media use, 42 minutes a day in 2017, and
TABLE 3. Mobile Media Use Within Demographic Group over
37 minutes in 2020. But in 2011, Black children averaged eight Time, 2011 to 2020
minutes a day, 1:06 in 2017, and 1:44 in mobile media use in 2020 Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average time spent with mobile
(see Table 3). media per day

2011 2013 2017 2020

Race/Ethnicity
‹ Black :08a :19b 1:06c 1:44 d
‹ Hispanic/Latinx :05a :14 a :56b 1:19c
‹ White :04 a :16b :42c :37c

Income
‹ Lower :03a :13b 1:13c 1:43c
‹ Middle :04 a :18b :50c :59c
‹ Higher :07a :18b :37c :40c

Parent education
‹ High school or less :05a :14b 1:01c 1:19c
‹ Some college :05a :24b :52c :58c
‹ College degree :06a :13b :32c :35c

TABLES 2 AND 3:
Notes: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; middle income is $30,000 to
$75,000 a year; and higher income is more than $75,000 a year. Items with
different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or
those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance should
be read across rows (over time).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 19
POTENTIAL SPOT FOR PHOTO
 TELEVISION, STREAMING, AND ONLINE VIDEOS

WATCHING SOME TYPE OF video content—whether television,

DVDs, streaming videos, or online videos—continues to be the FIGURE 4. Television/Video Viewing, by Type, 2020
main reason children use screen devices, accounting for nearly Among 0- to 8-year-olds, proportion of total TV/video viewing
that occurred through …
three-quarters (73%) of all screen time (see Figure 2 on page 17).
Sixty percent of children age 8 and under watch television or
videos “every day” (see Table D on page 16). On average, 0- to
11%
8-year-olds spend 1:45 a day watching video content (Table A).
The amount of time spent watching varies by age, with those ◼ Online videos
37%
under 2 averaging about 45 minutes a day, and those age 2 and 23% (YouTube/other)
older averaging about two hours a day (2:02 for 2- to 4-year-olds, ◼ Subscription service
(Netflix/Hulu/other)
and 2:00 for 5- to 8-year-olds; see Table B on page 14). This
29%
◼ Television
includes slightly more than a half hour a day of mobile video (live/recorded/on demand)
viewing among those 2 and older (:37 among 2- to 4-year-olds, ◼ DVDs
and :33 among 5- to 8-year-olds).

The total amount of time children spend watching television or

video content in 2020 is almost identical to what it was in 2011,
but the platforms used continue to change rapidly. Online videos
on sites like YouTube and subscription services, such as Netflix or TABLE 4. Television/Video Viewing, by Type, 2011 to 2020
Hulu, now constitute two-thirds of children’s television and video Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average daily time spent watching
viewing (66%), while traditional television—either live, recorded, 2011 2013 2017 2020
or on demand—accounts for just 23% (DVDs comprise 11%) (see
Television 1:09a :51b :37c :24d
Figure 4). Of the total time 0- to 8-year-olds spend watching
As aired N/A :39a :27b :18c
video content (1:45), just 18 minutes is devoted to watching TV
shows at the time they air, and another six minutes to watching Recorded/on demand N/A :12a :10a :06b
shows that were recorded earlier or watched on demand. The Online/subscription :04a :14b :46c 1:09d
largest chunk of time is spent watching online videos, such as
Subscription service N/A N/A :27 :30
on YouTube or other sites (:39 a day), followed by 30 minutes a (e.g., Netflix, Hulu)
day spent watching content through a streaming service (see Online videos N/A N/A :19a† :39b
Table 4). (YouTube, other)

DVDs‡ :31a :22b :17c :12d

Total television/video 1:44a 1:27b 1:40a 1:45a
†
In this table in the 2017 report, online videos did not include the other category,
so the total time was listed as 17 minutes instead of 19.
‡
Prior to 2020 this item also included time spent watching videotapes.
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with
no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.
Significance should be read across rows (over time).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 21
Television environment in the home. Many children continue to live
in homes where the TV set is left on most of the time, whether or FIGURE 5. Background Television, 2020
not anyone is watching it (Figure 5). Nearly 4 in 10 (39%) parents Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who live in homes where the
TV set is left on, whether or not anyone is watching
say the television is either “always” on (10%), or on “most of the
time” (29%). This proportion has remained consistent over the
3%
past decade (39% in 2011, 36% in 2013, and 42% in 2017).
4%
Children in those homes have also consistently watched far more 10%

television than other children their age: In 2020, those in homes 15%
where the TV set is left on all or most of the time whether or not
29% ◼ Always
anyone is watching spend an average of 1:31 a day watching tele- ◼ Most of the time
vision (including subscription service or online videos watched ◼ Some of the time
39% ◼ Hardly ever
through a TV set), compared to 52 minutes a day for those who
◼ Never
say it’s left on “some of the time,” and less than a half hour a day ◼ No TV in the home
(:28) for those whose parents say the television is either “hardly
ever” or “never” left on if no one is watching it (see Figure 6).

Smart TVs, cable, and subscription services. Television and movie FIGURE 6. Relationship Between Television Viewing and
subscription services such as Netflix and Hulu have become Background Television, 2020
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average daily time spent watching
widely prevalent in children’s homes, nearly double the rate of
television, by amount of time TV set is left on even if no one
cable subscriptions, and “smart” TVs (i.e., TV sets connected to
is watching
the internet) are now the norm (84% of homes have one, com-
pared to just 30% in 2013; see Table 5). Today, 87% of 0- to
1:31
8-year-olds live in a home with a subscription to a streaming
service, compared to 45% with cable. There has been a substan-
tial drop-off in cable subscriptions over the past three years, from
65% in 2017 down to 45% in early 2020. Subscriptions to :52

streaming services are commonplace, even among lower-income

homes (79%), and cable subscriptions are low, even among :28

higher-income homes (see Table 6).

Hardly ever/Never Some of the time All/Most of the time

TABLE 5. TV/Video Equipment in the Home, 2011 to 2020 TABLE 6. TV/Video Equipment in the Home, by Income, 2020
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who live in homes with … 0- to 8-year-olds who live in homes with …

2011 2013 2017 2020 Lower Middle Higher

a b a ab
Television 98% 96% 98% 97% Television 98% 96% 98%
a b c a b
Internet-connected TV N/A 30% 75% 84% Internet-connected TV 70% 83% 89%c
Subscription service N/A N/A 72%a 87%b Subscription service 79%a 83%a 91%b
Cable 68%ab 70%a 65%b 45%c Cable 45% 38%a 49%b

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with Note: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; middle income is $30,000 to
no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. $75,000 a year; and higher income is more than $75,000 a year. Items with
Significance should be read across rows (over time). different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or
those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance should
be read across rows (between income groups).

22 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Online videos. As mentioned above, watching online videos on Types of online videos watched. Learning videos are the most often
sites such as YouTube now constitutes the largest proportion of watched, with 53% of 0- to 8-year-olds watching "often" or
children’s viewing, at an average of 39 minutes a day—more than "sometimes" (Table 8). Thirty-four percent often or sometimes
double the amount of time devoted to online videos three years watch “how-to” videos about various activities they are inter-
ago (:19; see Table A on page 13). About a third (34%) of children ested in, such as how to draw, cook, dance, skateboard, make
age 8 and younger watch online videos every day, up from 24% crafts, or build Legos. A similar percent (31%) often or sometimes
three years ago. There have been increases in daily use of online watch “unboxing” or “product demonstration” videos (i.e., video
videos across all age groups; among children under 2, the propor- of someone opening or playing with a new toy). One in 4 (25%)
tion who watch “every day” went from 8% to 17% from 2017 to often or sometimes watch videos about playing video games, and
2020; among 2- to 4-year-olds it went from 27% to 39%; and 1 in 5 (23%) often or sometimes watch “challenge” videos, in
among 5- to 8-year-olds from 30% to 39% (see Table 7). which someone poses a challenge to other viewers to perform a
dance or stunt. Watching learning and nursery rhyme videos
peaks during the 2- to 4-year-old age range (with 70% and 66%,
respectively, watching them “often” or “sometimes”). How-to
videos peak among 5- to 8-year-olds, with 51% watching “often”
TABLE 7. Daily Online Video Use, by Age, 2017 vs. 2020
Percent who watch online videos “every day” or “sometimes”; other videos that peak in this age group include
videos about playing video games (46%), unboxing or demon-
All Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8
strating toys (43%), and challenges or stunts (41%).
2017 2020 2017 2020 2017 2020 2017 2020
Influencers. Overall, 18% of all 0- to 8-year-olds follow or sub-
24%a 34%b 8%a 17%b 27%a 39%b 30%a 39%b
scribe to certain YouTube personalities, celebrities, or influencers,
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with
ranging from 4% of children under 2, to 16% of 2- to 4-year-olds,
no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.
Significance should be read within age groups. and 27% of all 5- to 8-year-olds (see Table 8).

TABLE 8. Online Videos Watched, by Type and Age, 2020

Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who … All Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8

Often/Sometimes watch:
‹ Learning videos 53% 29%a 70%b 51%c
‹ Nursery rhymes or songs 45% 32%a 66%b 35%a
‹ Animal videos 43% 18%a 47%b 51%b
‹ How-to videos 34% 4%a 29%b 51%c
‹ Unboxing/product demonstration videos 31% 4%a 32%b 43%c
‹ Video-gaming/gameplay videos 25% 2%a 11%b 46%c
‹ Challenge/stunt videos 23% 1%a 12%b 41%c

Follow YouTube influencers 18% 4%a 16%b 27%c

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance
should be read across rows (between age groups).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 23
Selecting online videos. When parents whose children watch Parental coviewing of online videos. Many times, of course,
online videos (81%) are asked how their child usually finds the parents may not know exactly what their child is seeing, either
videos they watch, 30% say that they or another adult usually the videos themselves or any advertising associated with
choose them for the child (see Table 9). Eighteen percent say the them. About 1 in 4 parents (27%) say they watch online videos
child searches them out on their own, 16% say siblings’ choices with their children most of the time, but that ranges from 61%
influence what the child watches, and 14% say the child’s videos for babies and toddlers under 2, to 18% of 5- to 8-year-olds
are most often chosen by the online platform, through autoplay (see Table 9).
or suggested videos. Not surprisingly, this varies a lot by the
child’s age, with more than half (57%) of parents of children
under 2 saying they usually select videos for the child, compared
to just 19% of parents of children age 5 to 8.

Exposure to online advertising. Most parents whose children

watch online videos say their children don’t see many inappropri- TABLE 10. Inappropriate Advertising Exposure, by Age, 2020
ate advertisements while watching (such as ads that are too Among 0- to 8-year-olds who watch online videos, percent who
are exposed to inappropriate ads
sexual or violent or are for adult products or behaviors, such as
alcohol or vaping). More than 8 in 10 (81%) say this “hardly ever” All Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8
or “never” happens; 18% say it happens “often” or “sometimes,” Often/Sometimes 18% 10% a
12% a
24%b
ranging from 10% for those with children under 2, to 24% of
Hardly ever/Never 81% 90%a 88%a 75%b
those with 5- to 8-year-olds (see Table 10).

TABLE 9. Choosing and Coviewing Online Videos, 2020

Among 0- to 8-year-olds who watch online videos, percent who … All Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8

Choose online videos mainly by …

‹ Parent/other adult 30% 57%a 38%b 19%c
‹ Searching for them 18% 2%a 10%b 26%c
‹ Siblings who watch them 16% 18% 14% 16%
‹ Autoplay/suggested by platform 14% 7% a
19% b
13%a
‹ Following channels or individuals 10% 2%a 7%a 15%b
‹ Friend’s recommendation 1%
* * 2%

Coview with a parent

‹ Most of the time 27% 61%a 28%b 18%c
‹ Some of the time 47% 24%a 48%b 52%b
‹ Hardly ever/Never 26% 13%a 24%b 31%c

*Greater than zero but less than one-half percent.

TABLES 9 AND 10:

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance
should be read across rows (between age groups).

24 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 MOBILE MEDIA

MOBILE MEDIA DEVICES CONTINUE to be nearly universally

accessible in young children’s homes, with 97% having at least TABLE 11. Child’s Own Media Devices, by Age, 2020
one smartphone and 75% having a tablet (see Table C on page 0- to 8-year-olds with their own …
15). In fact, nearly half (48%) of all children have their own mobile All <2 2 to 4 5 to 8
device. Interestingly, there has been almost no change in personal Tablet 44% 8% a
43% b
61%c
device ownership among children from 2017 to 2020 (45% in
Smartphone 8% 4%a 5%a 12%b
2017, and 48% in 2020). About half (46%) of all 2- to 4-year-olds
iPod Touch or similar 4% 4%a 5%a 12%b
have their own mobile device, as do more than two-thirds (67%)
of 5- to 8-year-olds (see Table 11). Any mobile device 48% 9%a 46%b 67%c

The proportion of children who have used mobile media ranges

from 40% of babies and toddlers (under 2) up to nearly all (96%)
5- to 8-year-olds (see Table 12). Watching online videos is the TABLE 12. Use of Mobile Media, by Activity, 2020
most common activity on mobile devices (72% of all 0- to 0- to 8-year-olds who have used mobile media to …
8-year-olds do that), followed by playing video games (65%) and All <2 2 to 4 5 to 8
watching TV shows or movies (64%). Comparatively fewer chil- Watch online videos 72% 30% a
78% b
87%c
dren use mobile devices for reading books (33%); however,
Play games 65% 12%a 65%b 90%c
nearly half (47%) of older children (5 to 8 years old) have done so.
Watch television/movies 64% 26%a 73%b 76%b
On average, 0- to 8-year-olds spend just under an hour a day Use apps 55% 10%a 52%b 78%c
(:55) using mobile devices, only a small increase of seven minutes
Read books 33% 7%a 31%b 47%c
a day over the past three years (not statistically significant; see
Any mobile use 83% 40%a 93%b 96%c
Table 13). The most mobile time is spent watching TV shows and
videos (:28 a day), followed by mobile gaming (:13). Mobile media TABLES 11 AND 12:
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with
no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.
Significance should be read across rows (between age groups).

TABLE 13. Time Spent with Mobile Media, 2011 to 2020

Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average daily time spent using a mobile device to …

2011 2013 2017 2020

a b c
Watch television/videos :01 :05 :21 :28d
Play mobile games :03a :08b :16c :13c
Video-chat N/A N/A :01 :01
Read N/A N/A :03 :04
Do homework on a tablet N/A N/A N/A :01
a b c
Anything else :01 :02 :07 :08c
Total mobile media :05a :15b :48c :55c

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance
should be read across rows (over time).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 25
use ranges from an average of seven minutes a day for children
under age 2, up to an hour and a quarter a day (1:15) on average TABLE 14. Time Spent with Mobile Media, by Age, 2020
among 5- to 8-year-olds (see Table 14). Among 0- to 8-year- Average daily time spent using a mobile device to …

olds, more than 1 in 5 “often” or “sometimes” use a mobile device <2 2 to 4 5 to 8

when dining out at a restaurant (21%) or when eating at home Watch television/videos :03 a
:37 b
:33b
(22%) (see Table 15).
Play mobile games :01a :10b :21c
As mentioned previously, there are substantial differences in Video-chat
* :01 :01
children’s use of mobile media by both race and income (see Read :02 :05 :05
Table 16). Black children average about an hour (1:07) more per
* * :03b
a a
Do homework on a tablet
day on mobile devices than White children do, and Hispanic/
Anything else :01a :06b :12c
Latinx children average 42 minutes more per day than White
Total mobile media :07a :59b 1:15b
children do (1:44 for Black, 1:19 for Hispanic/Latinx, and :37 for
White children). Differences among children by family income *Greater than zero but less than one-half percent.

are similar (1:43 for lower-income, :59 for middle-income, and

:40 for higher-income households).

TABLE 15. Use of Mobile Devices During Meals, 2020

0- to 8-year-olds who often or sometimes use a mobile device
during meals

All <2 2 to 4 5 to 8
a b
At home 22% 6% 24% 27%b
At a restaurant 21% 7%a 27%b 23%b

TABLES 14 AND 15:

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with
no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.
Significance should be read across rows (between age groups).

TABLE 16. Time Spent with Mobile Media, by Race/Ethnicity and Income, 2020

Race/Ethnicity Income
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, .
average daily time spent using a Hispanic/
mobile device to … Black Latinx White Lower Middle Higher
b
Watch television/videos :47 a
:41 a
:19 b
:50 a
:28 :22b
Play mobile games :20a :19b :10b :19a :16a :10b
Video-chat :02 :01
* :02 :01
*
Read :15 a
:05 b
:03 b
:10 a
:04b :03b
Do homework on a tablet :03 :01 :01 :03 :01 :01
b
Anything else :17 :12 a
:04 b
:19 a
:09 :04 c
Total mobile media 1:44a 1:19a :37b 1:43a :59b :40c

*Less than one minute but greater than zero.

Notes: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; middle income is $30,000 to $75,000 a year; and higher income is more than $75,000 a year. Items with different
superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance should be read across
rows within race/ethnicity, and separately within income.

26 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 DIGITAL DIVIDE

CHILDREN IN LOWER-INCOME HOMES continue to have far

less access than other children to computers and internet at FIGURE 7. Home Internet Access, by Income, 2011 to 2020
home, with virtually no progress made in stemming this digital 0- to 8-year-olds with access to internet at home

divide over the past three years. The closing of most schools in
96% 94% Higher income
the United States in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pan- 92%

demic put the importance of this divide in sharp relief. Access to 86%

internet in the home has been stuck at the same level—with a

quarter of lower-income families lacking it—since 2017 (see
Figure 7). And more than a third (37%) of children in lower- 74% 74% Lower income

income households lack access to a home computer (see Figure

8). Sixty-three percent of children in lower-income homes have a
computer at home, compared to 95% of children in higher-
46%
income homes. At a time when remote learning has become 42%

essential, this failure to stem the divide could be devastating.

There also continues to be a substantial divide in access to tablets 2011 2013 2017 2020

in the home: In lower-income households, 59% of children have

a tablet, compared to 83% of children in higher-income homes
(see Table 17 on page 28). On the other hand, access to smart-
phones has continued to increase, to the point where 95% of FIGURE 8. Home Computer Access, by Income, 2011 to 2020
children in lower-income families have one today (up from 89% 0- to 8-year-olds with a laptop or desktop computer at home
in 2017; see Table 18 on page 28).
97% 95% Higher income
91% 90%

72%

63% Lower income

53%
48%

2011 2013 2017 2020

FIGURES 7 AND 8:
Note: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; higher income is more than
$75,000 a year.

Note: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; higher income is more than $75,000 a year.

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 27
TABLE 17. Computer and Internet Access in the Home, by Income, 2020

Income
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who have
each item in their home All Lower Middle Higher
‹ Computer 88% 63% a
85% b
95%c
‹ Internet access 89% 74%a 85%b 94%c
‹ Smartphone 97% 95%a 96%a 99%b
‹ Tablet 75% 59%a 67%a 83%b

Notes: For purposes of this survey, internet access is defined as anything other than dial-up or a data-only plan. Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; middle income is
$30,000 to $75,000 a year; and higher income is more than $75,000 a year. Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or
those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance should be read across rows (by income).

TABLE 18. Digital Access Among Lower-Income Families, 2011 to 2020

Among 0- to 8-year-olds in lower-income families, percent whose family has each of the following at home

2011 2013 2017 2020

‹ Computer 48% a
53% ac
72% b
63%bc
‹ Internet access 42%a 46%a 74%b 74%b
‹ Any mobile device in home 34%a 61%b 96%c 97%c
‹ Smartphone 27%a 51%b 89%c 95%d
‹ Tablet 2%a 20%b 61%c 59%c

Notes: Lower-income families are defined as families with an annual household income of less than $30,000. Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05).
Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance should be read across rows (over time).

28 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 READING

A MAJORITY OF CHILDREN read or are read to every day interesting because Black children and children in lower-income
(59%), a figure that has remained steady since this tracking families are the only ones doing a substantial amount of daily
survey began in 2011 (see Table D on page 16). Likewise, the reading on electronic devices (15 minutes a day among Black
amount of time children spend reading has also remained fairly children, and 10 minutes a day among children in lower-income
steady over that time period, at about a half hour a day (see Table families; this compares to three minutes a day among White
19). And children’s reading has continued to take place almost children, and three minutes a day among children in higher-
entirely with print materials, rather than e-books. However, this income households).
year there have been some interesting changes among various
demographic subgroups, as discussed below.

Time spent reading. From 2011 through 2017, the average amount
of time 0- to 8-year-olds spent reading or being read to remained TABLE 19. Time Spent Reading or Being Read to, 2011 to 2020
remarkably steady, ranging from 28 minutes to the current level Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average time spent reading per day

of 32 minutes a day (of which e-reading now accounts for an 2011 2013 2017 2020
average of four minutes a day) (see Table 19). While the overall Total reading . :29 a
:28 :29 :32b
increase from 2017 to 2020 is modest, there are some notewor- (or being read to)
thy changes among specific subpopulations, including children ‹ Print :29 :28 :26 :28
from Black and lower-income families. Reading is up by an ‹ E-reading N/A N/A :03 :04
average of 20 minutes a day among Black children (from :28 to
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with
:48), and by 17 minutes a day among children in lower-income no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.
families (from :26 to :43) (see Table 20). The increases are Significance should be read across rows (over time).

TABLE 20. Time Spent Reading Per Day, by Demographic Group, 2017 vs. 2020

2017 2020
Average time spent reading per day among .
0- to 8-year-olds Print E-reading Total Print E-reading Total

Race/Ethnicity ‹ Black :20 :08 :28 :33* :15 :48*

‹ White :28 :02 :30 :29 :03 :32
‹ Hispanic/Latinx :21 :04 :25 :25 :05 :30

Income ‹ Lower (<$30,000) :21 :05 :26 :33* :10 :43*

‹ Middle ($30,000 to $75,000) :22 :03 :25 :25 :04 :29
‹ Higher (>$75,000) :30 :03 :33 :29 :03 :32

Parent education ‹ High school or less :19 :03 :22 :24 :05 :29
‹ Some college :29 :05 :34 :27 :05 :32
‹ College degree :30 :03 :33 :32 :04 :36

*Indicates that 2020 mean is significantly different from 2017 mean.

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 29
Daily reading. As mentioned above, 59% of all 0- to 8-year-olds Demographic differences. There are no significant differences in
read or are read to on a daily basis, a figure that hasn’t changed time spent reading by age. However, girls read or are read to an
significantly since this tracking survey began in 2011. However, average of six minutes more than boys (see Table 22). There are
daily reading among children from lower-income households has more substantial differences by race/ethnicity and income, with
increased from 40% in 2017 to 50% in 2020. Despite this Black children and children from lower-income families reading
increase, there are still significant differences in rates of daily or being read to more than others their age. Black children
reading based on family income, race/ethnicity, and parent edu- average 48 minutes a day reading, compared to 30 minutes a day
cation. For example, while 50% of children in lower-income among Hispanic/Latinx children, and 32 minutes a day among
households read or are read to on a daily basis, 65% of their peers White children. Children in lower-income families average 43
from higher-income homes read that often (see Table 21). minutes a day reading, compared to 32 minutes a day among
children in higher-income families. This is a sharp contrast to
findings in previous years: In 2017, for example, there were no
differences in time spent reading by race or ethnicity, and the
difference by income was in the opposite direction, with children
in higher-income households reading more than others.

TABLE 21. Daily Reading, by Demographic, 2017 vs. 2020 TABLE 22. Time Spent Reading Daily, by Demographic, 2020
0- to 8-year-olds who read/are read to every day Average time spent reading per day among 0- to 8-year-olds

2017 2020 Age ‹ Under 2 :28

All 57% 59% ‹ 2 to 4 :33

Age ‹ Under 2 43% 46%a ‹ 5 to 8 :34

‹ 2 to 4 56% 63%b Gender ‹ Boys :30a

‹ 5 to 8 64% 63%b ‹ Girls :36b

Gender ‹ Boys 53% 57% Race/Ethnicity ‹ Black :48a

‹ Girls 61% 62% ‹ Hispanic/Latinx :30b

Race/Ethnicity ‹ Black 41%* 53%a ‹ White :32b

‹ Hispanic/Latinx 42% 49%b Income ‹ Lower :43a

‹ White 65% 64%a ‹ Middle :29b

Income ‹ Lower 40%* 50%a ‹ Higher :32b

‹ Middle 54% 53%a Parent education ‹ High school or less :29

‹ Higher 65% 65% b

‹ Some college :32

Parent education ‹ High school or less 44% 50%a ‹ College degree :36

‹ Some college 60% 59%b Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with
no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.
‹ College degree 67% 67%c Significance should be read vertically, within each demographic category.

*Indicates that 2017 and 2020 means differ significantly.

Note: Superscripts a, b, and c indicate differences between demographic
groups in 2020 and should be read vertically, within each category. Items with
different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05); those with no superscripts,
or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.

TABLES 21 AND 22:

Notes: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; middle income is $30,000 to $75,000 a year; and higher income is more than $75,000 a year.

30 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 GAMING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

THE AMOUNT OF TIME children age 8 and younger spend

playing video games has remained quite steady, on average, since TABLE 23. Time Spent Gaming Per Day, 2011 to 2020
these surveys began nine years ago—less than a half hour a day Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average time spent playing each type
of video game per day
(see Table 23). The platforms on which children play have shifted,
with less time spent on consoles or computers and more time on 2011 2013 2017 2020
mobile devices, but the average time devoted to gaming and the Console games :14 a
:10 ac
:06 b
:07bc
demographics of which kids game the most have not. Unlike Computer games :08a :05b :03c :03c
watching videos, gaming is inherently interactive, and requires a
Mobile games :03a :08b :16c :13c
degree of agency from the child; this means that there is almost
Total gaming :25 :23 :25 :23
no gaming in the under 2 age group, and the vast majority of
game time is concentrated in the 5- to 8-year-old age group (see Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Those with
no superscript, or that share a common superscript, do not differ. Significance
Table 24), boys in particular (see Table 25 on page 32). One thing should be read across rows (over time).
that has changed is that gaming is becoming “social,” meaning
that children are increasingly playing with other kids online.

Gaming. On average, children younger than 8 spend 23 minutes

a day playing video games, an amount that has remained rela- TABLE 24. Time Spent Gaming Per Day, by Age, 2020
tively steady over the past nine years. Over time, computer Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average time spent playing each type
of video game per day
gaming and console gaming have dropped, and mobile gaming
(on a smartphone or tablet) has increased. For example, in 2011, Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8
average gaming time was 25 minutes a day, and today it’s 23 Console games :00 a
:04 b
:14 c
minutes a day. But in 2011, children spent 14 minutes with console
*
a
Computer games :01a :05b
games and three with mobile games; today they spend seven
Mobile games :01a :10b :21c
minutes with console games and 13 with mobile games. The
Total gaming :01a :15b :40c
platforms and devices have changed, but the activity or the
overall time devoted to it have not (see Table 23). *Less than one minute but greater than zero.
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Those with
Some of this shift to mobile gaming is likely due to the increasing no superscript, or that share a common superscript, do not differ. Significance
should be read across rows (by age).
availability of mobile devices over time (from 52% to 98% of
children’s homes; see Table C on page 15). But given that the
proportion of homes with a video game console has remained
steady over the past decade (at 67%, as shown in Table C)—
while time spent playing on those devices has gone down—some
part of the shift is also likely due to a decreased interest in that
form of gaming among this age group (at least, a decreased inter-
est in the games that are available to them).

Gaming varies a lot by age, given children’s developing manual

and cognitive skills. The youngest ones (under 2) average one
minute a day, while 2- to 4-year-olds average 15 minutes a day, and
5- to 8-year-olds spend 40 minutes a day gaming (see Table 24).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 31
The gender gap in gaming starts incredibly young, with boys third (32%) of 5- to 8-year-olds “often” or “sometimes” engage
averaging more than twice the time gaming as girls (:31 vs. :14 in social gaming (playing with other kids online; see Figure 9).
minutes a day, on average; see Table 25). We can’t tell from this This compares to 21% who did so three years ago. Nongaming
survey why that is, although some possible explanations are that social media use remains infrequent among children 8 or
girls somehow innately don’t enjoy gaming as much as boys, younger. Only 6% of 5- to 8-year-olds use sites such as Snapchat
parents encourage it differently by gender (e.g., fathers may play or TikTok “often” or “sometimes.” This has remained virtually
more than mothers, and may play with their sons more than with unchanged since 2017, when the rate was 5% for this age group.
their daughters), or that content creators simply don’t create as
much content that appeals to girls.

In addition to the variations by age and gender, there are large

differences in gaming by race/ethnicity, income, and parent edu- FIGURE 9. Frequency of Social Gaming, by Age, 2020
cation (see Table 25). Children who are White, from higher-income Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who "often" or "sometimes"
homes, or have parents with a college degree spend far less time play social games with other kids online

playing video games than other children their age. For example,
32%
White children average about half as much time gaming as Black
children do (:18 vs. :37 a day, with Hispanic/Latinx children in
between at :30).

Social gaming and social media. While very few children in the
8-and-under age group use what we typically think of as “social
media” (e.g., Instagram, Snapchat), they are starting to interact
with others online, through connected (or “social”) gaming. As
5%
gaming moves increasingly online, more of children’s gaming is 2%

connected, even among this young age group. Overall, nearly a Under 2 2 to 4 5 to 8

TABLE 25. Time Spent Gaming Per Day, by Demographic Group, 2020
Among 0- to 8-year-olds, average time spent playing each type of video game per day

Console gaming Computer gaming Mobile gaming Total gaming

Gender ‹ Boys :13a :03 :15a :31a

‹ Girls :02b :01 :11b :14b

Race/Ethnicity ‹ Black :12a :05 :20a :37a

‹ Hispanic/Latinx :10 :01 :19a :30a
‹ White :06b :02 :10b :18b

Income ‹ Lower :09 :01 :19a :29a

‹ Middle :10a :01 :16a :27a
‹ Higher :06b :03 :10b :19b

Parent education ‹ High school or less :11a :03 :20a :34a

‹ Some college :08 :03 :13b :24a
‹ College degree :04b :02 :08c :14b

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance
should be read vertically, within each demographic category.

32 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 CHILDREN UNDER 2

BABIES AND TODDLERS YOUNGER than 2 spend an average of Table 26). While the average daily screen time among this age
49 minutes a day using screen media, and this is almost entirely group is 49 minutes, there is substantial variation. In any given
devoted to watching TV shows, DVDs, and online videos (see day, 56% of children under 2 do not use any screen media, while

TABLE 26. Time Spent Using Media Among Children Under 2, 2011 to 2020

Among all children under 2, average time spent per day … 2011 2013 2017 2020

Watching television/videos :53 :56 :40 :45

‹ Television :37 a
:37 ab
:21 b
:18c
‹ As aired N/A :28 :19 :16
‹ Recorded/on demand N/A :09 :02 :02
‹ Online/subscription
*
b b
a
:08 :13 :17b
‹ Streaming/subscription service N/A N/A :09 :13
‹ Online videos (YouTube/social/other) N/A N/A :04 :04
‹ DVDs :16 a
:11 :06 b
:10

Reading/being read to :23 :19a :21 :28

‹ Print :23 :19 :20 :26
‹ Electronic N/A N/A :01 :02

Playing video games * :01 * :01

‹ Console games
* * * :00
‹ Computer games
* * * *
‹ Mobile games
* :01
* :01

Listening to audio :39a :34 :23b :35

‹ Music :39 a
:34 :23 b
:34
‹ Podcasts/stories/audiobooks N/A N/A N/A :01

* *
a
Other digital activities :01 :01b
‹ Video-chatting N/A N/A
* *
‹ Homework/Educational software
* :01
* *
‹ Virtual reality N/A N/A
* :00
‹ Other
* * *
† a
:01b

*
a
Total mobile media‡ :02b :07b :07b
Total screen media :53 :58 :42 :49
a ab b
Total media 1:55 1:51 1:25 1:50

*Less than one minute but greater than zero. † Such as taking or looking at photos or videos, looking things up, social networking, or using other types of activities or apps
not already covered. ‡ Includes time spent doing any of the above activities on a smartphone, tablet, iPod Touch, or e-reader.
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Those with no superscript, or that share a common superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance
should be read across rows (over time).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 33
44% do. One-third (33%) watch for less than two hours, and 11%
watch for more than two hours (see Figure 10). Among those who FIGURE 10. Screen Use Among Children Under 2, 2020
do use screens in a given day, the average time spent doing so is Percent who use screen media for …
just under two hours (1:54; see Table 27).

While many organizations recommend against screen use before 7% 4%

age 2, 70% of children that age have watched television or videos,

including 45% who have watched online videos (see Table 28).
20%
Four in 10 (40%) have used mobile media devices, primarily for
56% ◼ >4 hours
watching online videos (30%) or TV shows or movies (26%) (see ◼ 2 to 4 hours
Table 29). The proportion of children under 2 who are daily 13% ◼ 1 to 2 hours
viewers of TV or video content has remained remarkably stable ◼ <1 hour
◼ None
over the past decade (currently 34%). The main changes have
been in how the children access their video content, with a drop
from 16% who were daily watchers of DVDs and videotapes
down to 7% in 2017 (this question wasn’t asked in 2020), and

TABLE 27. Time Spent Using Screen Media Among Children TABLE 28. Frequency of Media Activities Among Children
Under 2 Who Used Screen Media the Previous Day, 2020 Under 2, 2020
Average time spent …
Less
than Total
Watching television/videos 1:40
Percent who … Daily Weekly weekly† ever do
‹ Television :33
Read/are read to 46% 27% 4% 77%
‹ As aired :08
Watch television 29% 26% 11% 66%
‹ Recorded/on demand :25
Watch online videos 17% 16% 12% 45%
‹ Online/subscription :45
†
Does not include those who never do the activity.
‹ Streaming/subscription service :34
‹ Online videos (YouTube/social/other) :11
‹ DVDs :22
TABLE 29. Use of Mobile Media by Children Under 2,
Reading/being read to :05 by Activity, 2020
‹ Electronic :05 Percent who have used mobile media to …
Watch online videos 30%
Playing video games :03
Watch television/movies 26%
‹ Console games :00
Play games 12%
‹ Computer games
* Use apps 10%
‹ Mobile games :03
Read books 7%
Other digital activities :06
Any mobile use 40%
‹ Video-chatting :01
‹ Homework/Educational software
*
‹ Virtual reality :00
‹ Other :05

Total screen media 1:54

*Less than one minute but greater than zero.

34 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
an increase in daily viewers of online videos from 8% in 2017
(the first time the item was asked) up to 17% in early 2020 (see TABLE 30. Daily Media Use by Children Under 2, 2011 to 2020
Table 30). Percent who … daily 2011 2013 2017 2020

Nonscreen media use is also common among this age group. Just Read/are read to 44% 48% 43% 46%
less than half (46%) read or are read to every day, a rate that has
Watch television/videos 40% 32% 35% 34%
remained relatively steady over the past decade (see Table 30).
‹ Watch television 37% 31% 34% 29%
Children under 2 average about half an hour a day reading or
being read to (:28) and listening to music (:34) (see Table 26 on ‹ Watch online videos N/A N/A 8% a
17%b

page 33). ‹ Watch DVDs/ 16%a 11% 7%b N/A

videotapes
Why children under 2 use screen media. The most common reason
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Those with
parents give for their children under age 2 using screen media is no superscript, or that share a common superscript, do not differ significantly.
Significance should be read across rows (over time).
that the child learns things from the media they watch (70% say
this is a “very” or “somewhat” important reason). Half of parents
say other important reasons are that it is fun for the child (54%)
and that the parent needs the time to get things done at home TABLE 31. Reasons for Screen Use by Children Under 2, 2020
(52%; see Table 31). The vast majority of parents whose children Among parents of screen users, percent who say … is a "very/
this age use screen media (75%) say their child uses “the right” somewhat important" reason their child uses screens
amount of screen media, with 16% saying their child spends “too They learn things from it 70%
much time“ with screens and 8% “too little time“ (see Table 37
For fun 54%
on page 40). Less than 1 in 5 (18%) say it is difficult to get their
[The parent needs] time at home to get things done 52%
child under 2 to stop using screens when they tell them to, while
80% say it is not difficult (see Table 38 on page 40). To relax 39%
To keep them occupied when out 35%
Educational media. Parents whose babies or toddlers use screen
Their friends/siblings are doing it 32%
media have highly favorable opinions about the impact of media
on their child’s learning, with 70% saying media use mostly helps To feel better when they're upset 27%

learning and just 8% saying it mostly hurts (see Table 32). The They're bored 21%
vast majority (76%) agree either “strongly” or “somewhat” that
they are satisfied with the amount and quality of educational
screen media available to them (see Table 36 on page 40). Some
parents confess to being a bit overwhelmed by all the media TABLE 32. Parents’ Views of Media Effects, 2020
choices they have—37% strongly or somewhat agree that they Among parents of children under 2 who use screen media,
percent who say media helps/hurts the child’s …
are overwhelmed by the variety of media options available for
their child—but most (60%) don’t feel that way. Helps . Hurts .
(a lot/a little) (a lot/a little)

Learning 70% 8%
Creativity 40% 12%
Social skills 33% 15%
Ability to focus 37% 17%
Emotional maturity 23% 11%
Behavior 26% 17%
Physical activity 19% 27%

Note: Rows do not add up to 100% because those who responded "makes no
difference" are omitted from table.

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 35
POTENTIAL SPOT FOR PHOTO
 EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES: VIRTUAL REALITY,
SMART SPEAKERS, AND SMARTWATCHES
SOME OF THE NEWER technologies explored in this survey
include smart speakers and virtual assistants (e.g., Amazon’s FIGURE 11. Smart Speakers in the Home, 2017 vs. 2020
Alexa or Apple’s Siri), which allow children to interact verbally Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent with a smart speaker in
with online devices and virtual characters; virtual reality (VR) the home

headsets, which create an all-immersive, three-dimensional

gaming or movie experience; and child-oriented wearable devices,
41%
such as smartwatches, which allow parents to track their kids
and enable the child to call pre-programmed phone numbers.

Smart speakers became widely available about five years ago. In

2017, 9% of children’s homes had one of these voice-activated
devices that can search the internet, play music, answer ques-
9%
tions, and perform myriad other functions. Today 41% have one
(see Figure 11). In 2017, 14% of children often or sometimes 2017 2020
interacted with the virtual characters in smart speakers or mobile
devices; today, 25% do, including 23% of 2- to 4-year-olds, and
36% of 5- to 8-year-olds (see Table 33). The most common
reason children use smart speakers is to play music, which 19% TABLE 33. Use of Smart Speakers and Virtual Assistants,
of kids do (up from 6% in 2017). Only a very small percentage of by Age, 2020
children have used these devices to listen to stories (4%) or to Among 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who …
help them go to sleep (3%).
All <2 2 to 4 5 to 8
The all-immersive VR headsets that have been sold on the market Often or sometimes interact 25% 4% a
23% b
36%c
since 2016 have yet to make any major inroads in children’s media with a smart speaker or
virtual assistant
lives. In 2017, 11% of children lived in a home with a VR headset,
and three years later that percentage has not moved, at 11% (see Have used a smart speaker or virtual assistant to:
Table C on page 15). On average, children spend less than a ‹ Play music 19% 2%a 19%b 27%c
minute a day using VR (Table A on page 13). Smartwatches
‹ Talk/fool around with 16% 2%a 12%b 25%c
designed specifically for kids are beginning to come on the
‹ Get information 14% 1%a 7%b 25%c
market in the United States, but to date only 5% of 0- to 8-year-
‹ Get jokes
* 4%b 17%c
a
9%
olds have one (see Table C on page 15).
‹ Search for videos
* 7%b 12%c
a
8%
‹ Listen to stories 4% 1%a 3%a 6%b
‹ Go to sleep 3% 1% 3% 3%
‹ Something else 2% 0% a
3% b
2%b

*Greater than zero but less than one-half percent.

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with
no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.
Significance should be read across rows (by age).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 37
POTENTIAL SPOT FOR PHOTO
 PARENTS' VIEWS ABOUT CHILDREN'S MEDIA

PARENTS OF 0- TO 8-year-olds have overwhelmingly positive

views of the screen media their children use: The majority don’t TABLE 34. Parents’ Views of Media Effects, 2020
report being concerned about the amount of time their kids Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds who use screen media,
percent who say their child's media use helps/hurts the child’s …
spend with screens, the impact screen media has on their child,
the quality of the content available to them, or the challenges of Helps . Makes no Hurts .
getting their children to disengage with screens when it’s time for (a lot/a little) difference (a lot/a little)

other activities. Learning 72% 19% 8%

Creativity 60% 28% 11%
Parents’ views of media effects. Among parents whose children
use screen media, nearly three-quarters (72%) say the media Social skills 34% 46% 19%

their child uses help the child’s learning, while only 8% say media Ability to focus 32% 39% 28%
use hurts learning (see Table 34). “Learning” is also a strong Emotional maturity 31% 52% 16%
motivator for children’s screen use: The most common reason Behavior 25% 46% 27%
parents give for their child’s screen use is because “they learn
Physical activity 16% 40% 43%
things from it,” with 78% citing this as a “very” (34%) or “some-
Note: Rows may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
what” (44%) important reason (see Table 35). The vast majority
of parents say they are satisfied with the amount and quality of
the educational media available to their children: Seventy-five
percent either “strongly” (20%) or “somewhat” (55%) agree that
TABLE 35. Reasons for Children’s Screen Use, 2020
they are satisfied (see Table 36 on page 40). Parents’ satisfaction
Among parents of 0- to 8-year-old screen users, percent who
with educational media goes down a bit as kids get older: Among
say … is a reason their child uses screen media
parents of 2- to 4-year-olds, 83% are satisfied and 16% dissatis-
fied; among 5- to 8-year-olds, 68% are satisfied and 31% Very Somewhat
important important
dissatisfied. Only 12% of parents strongly agree that they feel
They learn things from it 34% 44%
“overwhelmed” by the variety of content available to their kids
these days (another 37% agree “somewhat”). For fun 20% 57%
[The parent needs] time at home to
A majority of parents (60%) also say media helps their child’s 11% 41%
get things done
creativity, compared to just 11% who say it hurts creativity (see
To relax 9% 44%
Table 34). When it comes to children’s social and emotional
To keep them occupied when out 7% 29%
development, parents are less universally positive about media
They're bored 7% 31%
impact, but still more likely to think media has a positive than a
negative effect. A plurality say the media their child uses makes Their friends/siblings are doing it 5% 24%
no difference one way or the other to their child’s social skills, To feel better when they're upset 5% 24%
emotional maturity, behavior, or ability to focus. More parents say
media has a positive than a negative effect on social skills and

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 39
emotional maturity, but they are more evenly split about media
effects on the child’s behavior or ability to focus. For example, TABLE 36. Parent Satisfaction with the Amount and Quality
of Educational Media, 2020
34% say media use has a positive effect on their child’s social
Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds who use screen media,
skills, compared to 19% who say negative (46% say it makes no
percent who agree/disagree that they are satisfied
difference). With regard to the child’s behavior, 25% of parents
say media have a positive effect, 27% say negative, and 46% say All <2 2 to 4 5 to 8
no effect. The only aspect of children’s media use that parents are Agree 75% 76% 83%a 68%b
clearly more negative than positive about is media impact on
‹ Strongly 20% 23% 23%a 16%b
children’s physical activity: Forty-three percent say it has a nega-
‹ Somewhat 55% 53% 60%a 52%b
tive effect, compared to 16% who say positive.
Disagree 24% 22% 16% 31%
Parents’ views of the amount of time children spend with media. Six
‹ Somewhat 20% 17% a
13% a
26%b
in 10 (60%) parents whose children use screen media say their
child spends “the right amount of time” with screens, compared ‹ Strongly 4% 5% 3% 5%
to 34% who say they spend “too much time” and 5% who say
“too little time” (see Table 37). But parents’ views do shift sub-
stantially as the child gets older, so that parents of 5- to
TABLE 37. Parents’ Views About Their Child’s Screen Media
8-year-olds are more evenly split, with 50% saying their child has
Time, 2020
the right amount of screen time, and 44% saying it’s too much
Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds who use screen media,
(6% say too little). Most parents don’t avail themselves of the
percent who …
types of products available for limiting a child’s screen time: One
in 5 (20%) parents say they use some type of device or app to All <2 2 to 4 5 to 8
limit their child’s screen time, including 26% of those with 5- to Say their child spends too much/little time with screens
8-year-olds. Indeed, some parents use media as a way to keep
‹ Too much time 34% 16%a 29%b 44%c
their child occupied when the parent needs to get something
‹ Too little time 5% 8% 4% 6%
done, either when out running errands (before the coronavirus
‹ Right amount of time 60% 75% a
66% b
50%c
pandemic, 36% said this was a “very” or “somewhat” important
reason their child used screen media) or so the parent can get Use a device or app to limit 20% 10%a 15%a 26%b
things done at home (52%) (see Table 35 on page 39). And most their child’s screen time

say they don’t find it difficult to get their child to stop using media
when they ask (60%, although 40% do find it at least somewhat
difficult; see Table 38).
TABLE 38. Difficulty Getting Child to Stop Using Media, 2020
Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds who use screen media,
percent who agree/disagree that it is difficult to get the child to
stop using media when asked

All <2 2 to 4 5 to 8

Agree 40% 18%a 39%b 48%b

‹ Strongly 9% 2%a 9%b 11%b
‹ Somewhat 31% 16%a 30%b 37%b

Disagree 60% 80%a 60%b 52%b

‹ Somewhat 25% 16%a 30%b 24%b
‹ Strongly 35% 64%a 30%b 28%b

TABLES 36 to 38:
Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with
no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly.
Significance should be read across rows (by age).

40 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Concerns about media. While most parents don’t think their child
spends too much time with media at this point in time, many do TABLE 39. Parents’ Concerns About Media, by Level, 2020
worry about their child’s current and future media habits (see Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds, Very or.
Table 39). When parents are asked how concerned they are percent who are concerned* about Very somewhat
their child … concerned concerned
about various aspects of their child’s use of media in the future,
34% say they are “very” concerned about the child spending too Spending too much time with media 34% 75%

much time with media. The amount of sexual and violent content Sexual content in media 42% 73%
in media, and the possibility of their child facing cyberbullying, are Violent content in media 36% 73%
other topics that concern parents (42%, 36%, and 40%, respec- Cyberbullying online 40% 70%
tively, are “very” concerned). Racial/ethnic or gender stereotypes
Media and tech companies collecting
in media are of concern to a smaller number of parents (23% and 34% 69%
data about them
21%, respectively, are “very” concerned).
Amount of advertising and
28% 68%
materialism in media
Parental coviewing and coengagement with media. A majority of
parents say they watch television, watch online videos, and play Depictions of drugs/alcohol in media 30% 62%

mobile games with their child at least “some of the time” (84% Vaping or smoking in media 27% 54%
for television, 74% for online videos, and 63% for mobile games), Racial/ethnic stereotypes in media 23% 53%
although far fewer say they do so “most” of the time (see Table Gender stereotypes in media 21% 49%
40). Parental coengagement goes down dramatically as the
*Today or in the future
child’s age goes up: The proportion of parents who say they use
media “most of the time” with their 5- to 8-year-old children
ranges from 11% to 19%, depending on the media activity (this
compares to 37% to 62% for parents of children under 2; see TABLE 40. Co-Use of Media, by Level, 2020
Table 41). Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds Most or
who use each type of screen media, Most of some of
Racial/ethnic differences in parental attitudes and concerns. Black percent who … with their child the time the time
parents and those in lower-income households are much more Watch television 29% 84%
likely than their higher-income or White counterparts to perceive
Watch online videos 27% 74%
educational benefits to their children from screen media (see
Play games/use apps on mobile 17% 63%
Table 42 on page 42). Thirty-nine percent of Black parents versus
Play video games 18% 62%
19% of White parents saying the media their child uses helps
their learning “a lot,” as do 38% of lower-income vs. 17% of
higher-income parents. Indeed, half of Black parents say that
learning is a “very important” reason their child uses screen TABLE 41. Co-Use of Media, by Age, 2020
media, compared to 31% of White parents. Black parents also Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds
have a more favorable opinion of the educational media available who use each type of screen media,
to their children. For example, these parents are more than twice percent who … with their child .
“most of the time” <2 2 to 4 5 to 8
as likely as White ones to “strongly agree” that they are satisfied
Watch television 53% a
31% b
19%c
with their child’s educational media (33% vs. 15%).
Watch online videos 62%a 28%b 18%c
Play games/use apps on mobile 49%a 20%b 11%c
Play video games 37%a 36%a 13%b

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Those that
share a common superscript do not differ significantly. Significance should be
read across rows (by age).

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 41
Hispanic/Latinx parents have the highest level of concern about they are “very” concerned about their child’s exposure to sexual
the possible negative effects of media in their children’s futures content in the media (either today or in the future), compared to
(see Table 43). On almost every issue of potential concern asked 40% of Black parents and 36% of White parents. The largest
about in this survey—from images of sex and violence to cyber- difference comes with regard to parents’ concerns about racial
bullying and data collection—Hispanic/Latinx parents express and ethnic stereotypes in media, with just 15% of White parents
the most concern, and White express parents the least, often by saying they are “very” concerned, compared to 35% of Black
a wide margin. For example, 55% of Hispanic/Latinx parents say parents and 37% of Hispanic/Latinx parents.

TABLE 42. Parents’ Views About Media and Learning, by Race/Ethnicity and Income, 2020

Race/Ethnicity Income
Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds who use screen Hispanic/
media, percent who say … Black Latinx White Lower Middle Higher
a b b a a
Learning is a “very important” reason their child uses 50% 37% 31% 42% 40% 29%b
screen media
The media their child uses helps “a lot” with learning 39%a 32%a 19%b 38%a 31%a 17%b
“Strongly agree” that they are satisfied with amount 33%a 27%a 15%b 26%a 24%a 16%b
and quality of educational media for their child

Notes: Lower income is less than $30,000 a year; middle income is $30,000 to $75,000 a year; and higher income is more than $75,000 a year. Items with different
superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance should be read across rows
within race/ethnicity, and separately within income.

TABLE 43. Parents’ Concerns About Media, by Race/Ethnicity, 2020

Race/Ethnicity
Among parents of 0- to 8-year-olds, percent who Hispanic/
are “very concerned”* about their child … Black Latinx White
a b
Spending too much time with media 30% 41% 32%a
Sexual content in media 40%a 55%b 36%a
Violent content in media 38%a 50%b 29%c
Cyberbullying online 37%a 53%b 35%a
Media/tech companies collecting data about them 35%a 47%a 28%b
Amount of advertising and materialism in media 31% 36%a 24%b
Depictions of drugs/alcohol in media 32%a 41%a 23%b
Vaping or smoking in media 33%a 41%a 20%b
Racial/ethnic stereotypes in media 35%a 37%a 15%b
Gender stereotypes in media 28%a 30%a 15%b

*Today or in the future

Note: Items with different superscripts differ significantly (p < .05). Items with no superscript, or those with the same
superscript, do not differ significantly. Significance should be read across rows (by race/ethnicity).

42 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 PARENT QUOTES

THE SURVEY INDICATES CLEAR patterns of parents’ opinions about children and media, but it also reveals just how individualistic and
unpredictable parents’ opinions of and experiences with specific shows can be. The survey included an open-ended question asking
parents to tell us about specific shows, videos, games, or websites that had either a positive or negative effect on their child’s behavior,
emotional maturity, ability to focus, or social skills. A sampling of their comments is presented below.

Behavior

Positive Effects Negative Effects

“Child-based meditation. He listens much better and “He saw a YouTube video of people stuffing
can focus much better after a meditation video.” marshmallows in their mouths, tried it at home, .
and nearly [choked]. (I had to call 911.)”
—Parent of a 6-year-old boy

—Parent of an 8-year-old boy

“Most shows she watches on Netflix remind her to

say ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘sorry.’” “She gets addicted to Roblox, and it’s hard to .
pull her away.”
—Parent of a 4-year-old girl

—Parent of a 7-year-old girl

“Videos about eating healthy food and hygiene with

bathing and washing her hands and brushing her “If we allow him to watch an hour of screen time, his
teeth. It helps to understand why and reduces the behavior changes to somewhat violent, even if what
difficulty of her doing these without crying.” he was watching was not violent at all. If we don’t
allow him to watch anything with a digital screen for
—Parent of a 3-year-old girl
a couple days, his mood goes back to normal.”

—Parent of a 3-year-old boy

“[When she watches] Ryan’s show, she always wants

more toys and she never focuses on what she has, or
even pays attention to what’s going around her in
the house. And she wants us to be always available
like Ryan’s parents to play with her all the time!!!”

—Parent of a 2-year-old girl

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 43
Ability to Focus

Positive Effects Negative Effects

“[Watching] SpongeBob calms him down. [My child] “YouTube hurts her ability to focus because there are
has ADHD.” so many videos to choose from that oftentimes she

—Parent of an 8-year-old boy

will be distracted while watching a video and click on
another video without finishing the first one.”

“Super Why on PBS helps him focus because he tries —Parent of a 3-year-old girl

to look out for the mystery letter to solve the

problem of the day.” “SpongeBob SquarePants is too erratic/frenetic. It

—Parent of a 5-year-old boy

normalizes responding to rapid, intense stimuli.”

—Parent of a 4-year-old boy

“Sesame Street teaches her many things that she has

to focus on. She enjoys finding [the] hidden object or “He can’t focus on anything when the TV is on other
answering riddles given by the show’s characters.” than the TV.”

—Parent of a 4-year-old boy

—Parent of a 3-year-old girl

“It is not necessarily a specific show, game, video

“Sometimes when she is focused on watching
or app that hurts, but rather the ability to focus on
[YouTube Kids on] the phone she will eat, relax, or
one specific thing. There is so much content to
let me get things done. Otherwise she is going a
choose from, there is always a constant change of
hundred miles a minute and just wants to play.”
what she is viewing.”
—Parent of a 2-year-old girl
—Parent of a 4-year-old girl

“He is intrigued by Elmo and Cookie Monster. He

“She sometimes will not respond when another
focuses in on them which keeps his attention [so he]
person is talking to her while she is in front of a
has the ability to learn new things.”
screen. Also, she wants to play video games or
—Parent of a 1-year-old boy watch movies and doesn’t know how to enjoy and
focus on other hobbies.”
“Since his eyes are still maturing at 6 months old,
—Parent of a 4-year-old girl
baby stimulation videos are helpful and have
soothing music along with them.”

—Parent of a boy younger than 1 year

44 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Emotional Maturity

Positive Effects Negative Effects

“Daniel Tiger helps him learn how to process different “Just in general, he tends to throw more tantrums
emotions and how to calm down when he is upset.” after watching a screen.”

—Parent of a 1-year-old boy —Parent of a 2-year-old boy

“Chip and Potato is a video that helps him learn how to “YouTube videos where the parents are playing with
deal and cope with things like being strong when their kids. The kids act up and the parents don’t
things don’t go his way. Like being scared sleeping discipline them so [she] acts just as bad as other
over at a friend’s house for the first time and dealing kids on YouTube.”
with mean classmates.”
—Parent of a 5-year-old girl

—Parent of a 5-year-old boy

“Her behavior suffers if we allow her to watch more

“Películas amigos le ayuda a entender la importancia than two hours a day. So that is now a limit, and we
de [nombre].” . only allow her to watch on weekends.”
(“Movies with friendships help [him] understand
—Parent of a 7-year-old girl
how to be a friend.”)

—Parent of a 6-year-old boy “Juegos de video alteran su comportamiento no sabe

como lidiar la frustracion cuando pierde y se enoja y
llora.” .
(“Video games change his behavior. He doesn’t
know how to alleviate his frustration when he
loses and he gets mad and cries.”)

—Parent of an 8-year-old boy

“He cannot transition away from the TV without

difficulty. Extra cranky. Moody. Rude.”

—Parent of a 3-year-old boy

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 45
Social Skills

Positive Effects Negative Effects

“[Watching] SpongeBob helps him relate to others.” “Si se queda viendo videos no socializa con sus padres

—Parent of a 6-year-old boy

ni con familiares o amigos.” .
(“If she stays watching videos, she won’t socialize
with her parents, her family, or friends.”)
“The YouTube channel Cocomelon uses real-life
situations for kids and teaches them to share. I know —Parent of an 8-year-old girl

it affects her because I see her resolve her own

situations with sharing.” “Too hooked to screen and not enough time spent

—Parent of a 2-year-old girl

with the family and people.”

—Parent of a 5-year-old boy

“He copies the way he sees the people on TV act. So

watching people like CoryxKenshin or Ryan’s World
toy reviews on YouTube helps build his personality
and people skills. Whenever he meets new children,
he puts himself out there very easily and he displays
actions and [uses] different sayings he picked up
from his video.”

—Parent of a 3-year-old boy

“Our daughter is [an] only child. She watches

YouTube videos of kids doing things. It entices her
to want to do the same thing with other kids. I see
this behavior when she interacts with new kids.”

—Parent of a 2-year-old girl

“She watches some YouTube videos that show other

kids in social situations and learns how to interact
and communicate better with kids near to her age.”

—Parent of a 6-year-old girl

46 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Creativity

Positive Effects

“TikTok helps her be creative and outgoing without

her worrying about what others think.”

—Parent of an 8-year-old girl

“Minecraft helps him to be creative, solve problems,

and remain calm.”

—Parent of a 7-year-old boy

“Ryan’s [World] toy videos help him use his

imagination when other kids are playing with him.”

—Parent of a 5-year-old boy

Negative Effects

“I think he is so used to having something

entertain him that if he is bored he doesn’t know
what to do with himself. He bounces from one
thing to the next.”

—Parent of a 7-year-old boy

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 47
POTENTIAL SPOT FOR PHOTO
 CONCLUSION

EVEN BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic reached the Time Spent with Screen Media
United States, more and more aspects of children’s lives revolved
around media; the closing of schools and playgrounds and the • Some child development professionals have concerns about
limiting of social contact have served to highlight the centrality of the amount of time children spend with screens, while other
media. This report describes families’ media lives on the brink of experts think that time is not a relevant metric. Among the
the pandemic, and raises a number of important issues that, 0- to 8-year-old age group, the total amount of time
based on the state of play in early 2020, will be critical for devoted to screen use each day has remained relatively
researchers to track and monitor. We enumerate some of those stable over the past decade. Will that finally change now
issues and questions below: that the coronavirus pandemic has forced so many indoors,
and if so, to what degree? If screen use has grown during
this period, how will that affect children’s healthy develop-
Education ment and future relationship with screens? Will any changes
• As of mid-March 2020, more than a third of children from that occur be temporary or lasting?
lower-income families lacked a computer in the home, and • Even prior to the pandemic, the disparity in screen use by
more than a quarter lacked internet access. No progress had parent education, income, and race/ethnicity had already
been made in addressing either aspect of the digital divide exploded, nearly tripling from a difference of 40 minutes a
over the past few years. Yet by the end of that month, online day by income in 2011 to just under two hours a day (1:56)
learning became the only option for most children, and the in 2020. At the same time, Black parents are much more
price of our lack of progress in addressing this divide likely to see educational value in screen media, as are
became painfully clear. parents in lower-income homes. Is that a primary driver of
• Before the coronavirus pandemic forced most schools growing socioeconomic differences in media usage, and if
online, the school-age children in the survey (5- to 8-year- so, how can the stakeholders in children’s lives capitalize on
olds) were not spending much time using digital devices for this to support families of color as well as lower-income
homework, averaging just five minutes a day doing school- families? Will these gaps continue to grow during and after
work. As online learning became the only option during the pandemic, and if so, what are the long-term implications
stay-at-home orders, most younger children didn’t have for child development?
much experience in that realm. Will their facility with digital
devices for entertainment purposes translate to Zoom
classes and online homework?

• Over the years, parents have been largely satisfied with the
amount and quality of educational media available for their
children, including in early 2020. Will that satisfaction be
challenged by the new pressures for children to learn from
home, or will parental satisfaction grow as parents are
forced, by necessity, to discover new educational content
options across platforms?

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 49
Screen Use Among Children Under 2 • Before the pandemic, the use of educational content online
was most dominant among children in the 2- to 4-year-old age
• Before the pandemic upended our lives, on any given day in group. Among 5- to 8-year-olds, content was becoming more
this country most babies under age 2 did not use screen media focused on challenges, gaming, unboxing, and influencers.
at all (56%). Screen use among this age group has been This trend could tip in either direction during the pandemic.
relatively stable for nearly a decade. With parents now forced
to juggle multiple responsibilities at home, what will happen Earlier this year, parents had overwhelmingly positive views
to screen use among children under 2? This could have about their children’s media lives. Most were not worried that
important implications for early childhood development, or their children were spending too much time with screens; the
for future patterns of screen use among this cohort. vast majority were satisfied with the amount and quality of
educational content available, and most felt that the media
their children used was helping their learning and creativity. As
Reading parents contend with working from home while supervising
• As of early 2020, Black children and children in lower-income their children’s online learning—at the same time that many
families had begun spending more time reading each day than playgrounds remain closed, after-school programs are cancelled,
in previous years, including e-reading. As school, libraries, and playdates are still virtual—we don’t know how or in what
and bookstores closed during the pandemic, this emerging ways it will affect parents’ satisfaction with, or concerns about,
familiarity with digital reading may bode well for children’s media and technology.
literacy. Will we finally see a substantial jump in e-reading One potential danger the survey points to is the impact of media
among young children? Or might time spent reading go down on children’s physical activity, particularly in an era of school
as access to print books becomes more challenging? closures and stay-at-home orders. Over the years, the one down-
side parents have consistently seen regarding children’s screen
Media Content use was its effect on physical activity. In early 2020, 43% of
parents said their child’s screen use hurt their level of physical
• The amount of time children spend watching online videos activity, and just 16% said it helped. This could be an opportunity
had already doubled over the past few years. What might for content providers to step in and start producing more content
this mean in terms of the types of content they are exposed that motivates children to get up and get moving. But it is possible
to, or their interactions with others online, especially if they that the ready access to screen entertainment during this period
are spending even more time in these activities now that of being home will exacerbate the likely negative impact of the
they are stuck at home more often? pandemic on children’s physical activity.
• Prior to the pandemic, children in the 5- to 8-year-old age Finally, this research points to the need for a continuing focus in
group were beginning to use “connected” media applications, children’s media research on the content to which children are
such as social gaming, more often. Many of these games exposed through media, be it around gender roles, racial and
and apps mean that children are interacting with other users ethnic diversity, violence, STEM opportunities, kindness and
online, in ways parents may not always be aware of. Given caring, or social and emotional development. Considering that
that this practice had already started as a mode of enter- watching online videos on sites like YouTube is the activity
tainment among this age group before the virus exploded, children devote the most time to, understanding the nature of
what might this mean for children whose only form of “play” the content they are exposed to in that environment should be a
may now be online, without the supervision of teachers, top priority.
playground monitors, or even parents? Will their interactions
with other gamers online lead to more cyberbullying and Indeed, it may be more important than ever for all those con-
other negative experiences, or to a greater sense of social cerned with providing the healthiest possible environment for
connection and new friendships? children’s development to consider whether the amount of time
children spend in media activities and the content they are access-
ing reflect the kinds of people we want to help them become.

50 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 APPENDIX: 2020 QUESTIONNAIRE

Q1. Is there a TV set in your household, or not?

a. Yes
b. No

Q2. Which of the following, if any, do you have in your household? [Randomize, but hold a/b in order at top]

a. [If Q1=yes] Cable or satellite television

b. [If Q1=yes] A way to connect your television to the internet so you can download or stream TV shows or movies
onto your TV set
c. A subscription service, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, or Hulu, for streaming or downloading TV
shows and movies
d. A laptop or desktop computer
e. High-speed internet access (cable, wireless, or DSL)
f. A video game player like an Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch
g. A virtual reality (VR) headset, such as Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, or PlayStation VR
h. An iPad or similar tablet device, such as a Galaxy Tab or other Android tablet, Microsoft Surface, or Kindle Fire
i. An iPod Touch or similar device
j. A Kindle or other e-reader
k. A smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo Dot, Google Home, or Apple HomePod
l. A smartphone (can use it to go online)

[IfQ1=yes]

Q3. When someone is at home in your household, how often is the television on, even if no one is actually .
watching it?

a. Always
b. Most of the time
c. Some of the time
d. Hardly ever
e. Never

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 51
For this next set of questions, please think about your [FOCAL CHILD]. Some of these questions may be about things [CHILD] is too
young to do. If that's the case, just mark the correct response and move on.

Q4. Which of the following items does [CHILD] have, if any? [Randomize]

a. [His/her] own smartphone

b. [His/her] own tablet, such as an iPad, Kindle Fire, or similar device
c. [His/her] own iPod Touch or similar device
d. [His/her] own educational game device, such as a LeapFrog LeapPad or VTech laptop
e. [His/her] own smartwatch or similar device

Q5. We’re interested in whether [CHILD] has ever used a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, to do any of the
following activities. Please mark any of the activities [CHILD] has ever done on a mobile device:

a. Watch TV shows or movies

b. Watch online videos, such as on YouTube
c. Play games
d. Use apps
e. Read books

Q6. We also want to know how often [CHILD] does various activities, or if [he/she] has never done these activities. How often
does [CHILD]: [Randomize]

a. Read or be read to
b. Watch television
c. Use a computer
d. Play video games on a player like an Xbox, Playstation, or Switch
e. Watch online videos, such as on YouTube
f. Use a mobile device (like a smartphone or tablet) to play games, watch videos, go online, or use apps
g. Listen to podcasts, stories, or audiobooks

52 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Q7. We’re interested in how much time [CHILD] spent doing various activities yesterday. Some of these may be things
[CHILD] is too young to do or never does. If that’s the case, just mark “didn’t do” and move on. Thinking just about
YESTERDAY, how much time did [CHILD] spend: [Rotate but block b/c and d–p in order] .
Answers in hours and minutes, open-ended.

a. Listening to music
b. [If Q6a=1–5] Reading or being read to from a print book
c. [If Q6a=1–5] Reading or being read to on a tablet, phone, or e-reader
d. Watching DVDs or videotapes
e. [If Q6b=1–5] Watching television on a TV set
f. [If Q6f=1–5] Watching videos or TV shows on a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet
g. [If Q6c=1–5] Watching videos or TV shows on a computer
h. [If Q6d=1–5] Playing video games on a console or handheld video game player like an Xbox,
PlayStation, or Switch
i. [If Q6f=1–5] Playing games on a smartphone or tablet
j. [If Q6f=1–5] Skyping or video-chatting on a smartphone or tablet
k. [If Q6f=1–5] Doing homework on a tablet
l. [If Q6f=1–5] Doing anything else on a smartphone or tablet, such as taking or looking at pictures or
videos, looking things up, social networking, or using other types of apps not already covered
m. [If Q6c=1–5] Skyping or video-chatting on a computer
n. [If Q6c=1–5] Playing games on a computer
o. [If Q6c=1–5] Doing homework on a computer
p. [If Q6c=1–5] Doing anything else on a computer (taking or viewing photos, looking things up, social
networking, other activities)
q. [If Q2g=yes] Using a virtual reality headset
r. [If Q6g=1–5] Listening to podcasts, stories, or audiobooks

[If Q7e=any amount of time]

Q8. You wrote that [CHILD] spent [insert time] watching television on a TV set yesterday. About how much of that time, .
if any, was spent: [Do not randomize or rotate] .
Answers in hours and minutes, open-ended.

a. Watching shows you recorded earlier or watched through on demand

b. Watching shows you downloaded or streamed, such as through Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus,
or Vudu
c. Watching live television
d. Watching videos on a site like YouTube (through the TV set)

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 53
[If Q7e=any amount of time]

Q9. You also wrote that [CHILD] spent [insert time] watching television or videos on a mobile device yesterday. About how
much of that time, if any, was spent: [Do not randomize or rotate] .
Answers in hours and minutes, open-ended.

a. Watching videos on a site like YouTube

b. Watching videos on social media sites like TikTok
c. Watching TV shows or movies through a service like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, or Vudu
d. Something else

[If Q7e=any amount of time]

Q10. You also wrote that [CHILD] spent [insert time] watching television or videos on a computer yesterday. About how much
of that time, if any, was spent: [Do not randomize or rotate]
Answers in hours and minutes, open-ended.

a. Watching videos on a site like YouTube

b. Watching videos through social media sites like TikTok
c. Watching TV shows or movies through a service like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, or Vudu, or through a
network’s website
d. Something else

Q11. How often, if ever, does [CHILD] do any of the following: [Randomize but hold a/b as a block]

a. Watch educational TV shows like Sesame Street, StoryBots, or MythBusters

b. Watch kids’ entertainment TV shows like Paw Patrol, Adventure Time, or SpongeBob SquarePants
c. [If Q2d=yes] Use educational games or programs on the computer
d. [If Q4c=yes] Play games on an educational device like a LeapFrog LeapPad or VTech laptop
e. [If Q2h, Q2i, or Q2l=yes] Play educational games, apps, or activities on a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet
f. [If Q2f=yes] Play games that are educational for him/her on a video game player like an Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch
g. Listen to educational podcasts

[If Q6e=1–5]

Q12. [How often, if ever, does [CHILD] watch the following types of videos online, for example on YouTube? [Randomize]
Response options: Often, sometimes, hardly ever, never

a. “How-to” videos (e.g., how to draw, cook, dance, make crafts, make things with Legos or PlayDoh, skateboard)
b. “Unboxing” videos (i.e., video of someone opening a new toy), or product demonstrations (such as showing off toys,
make-up, clothes, etc.)
c. Nursery rhymes or songs
d. Video gaming/gameplay videos
e. Challenges/stunts/tricks videos
f. Animal videos
g. Learning/educational videos (i.e., alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, feelings, etc.)

54 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[If Q6e=1–5]

Q13. Does your child follow or subscribe to certain YouTube personalities, celebrities, or influencers?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know

Base: If Q6b=1–5, Q6d=1–5, Q6e=1–5, Q6f=1–5

Q13A How often, if ever, does [CHILD] see ads that are inappropriate for [HIM/HER] (such as too sexual, too violent, .
or for adult products like alcohol or vaping supplies) when [HE/SHE] is doing the following: [Randomize]
Response options: Often, sometimes, hardly ever, never

a. [If Q6b=1-5] Watching television

b. [If Q6d=1-5 or Q6f=1-5] Playing games on a mobile device or video game player
c. [If Q6e=1-5] Watching online videos, such as on YouTube

Q14. How often, if ever, does [CHILD] do the following: [Randomize]

Response options: Often, sometimes, hardly ever, never

a. [If Q6b or Q6e=1–5; do NOT screen on language] Watch Spanish-language television or videos
b. [If Q6c or Q6f=1–5] Use a social networking site like Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok
c. [If Q6c or Q6f=1–5] Play a "social" game online (like Minecraft, Animal Jam, Roblox, or Fortnite) with other kids
d. [If Q6f=1–5] Use a mobile device when [he/she] eats at home
e. [If Q6f=1–5] Use a mobile device when the family eats out at a restaurant
f. [If Q2k or Q2l=yes] Ask questions or give commands to the voice-activated assistant on a phone (such as Siri)?
[If Q2l=yes: or to a smart speaker, such as Alexa or Google Assistant]

g. [If Q6b or Q6d or Q6e or Q6f=1–5] Watch television or videos, or play video games in the hour before bedtime

[If Q14f=1–3]

Q15. In which of the following ways does [CHILD] use the voice-activated assistant on a phone (such as Siri)? .
[If Q2k=yes: or virtual assistant device (such as Alexa or Google Assistant)] [Randomize; anchor h]

a. To get information
b. To get jokes
c. To play music
d. To search for video
e. Just to talk or fool around with
f. To go to sleep
g. To listen to stories
h. Something else SPECIFY

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 55
[If Q6b=1–5]

Q16. Thinking about the TV shows [CHILD] watches the most, what is the MAIN way [he/she] found those shows? .
[Randomize and anchor f–h at bottom]

a. Recommended by [his/her] friends

b. Watched by brothers or sisters or other relatives
c. Selected by you or another adult
d. [CHILD] found them [him/her] self
e. Promoted or featured by the platform (i.e., on the Netflix home screen or through autoplay)
f. Other (specify)
g. Don’t know
h. [CHILD] doesn’t do this

[If Q6e=1–5]

Q17. Thinking about the online videos [CHILD] watches on sites like YouTube, what is the MAIN way [he/she] chooses them?
[Randomize, anchor g–i]

a. Recommended by [his/her] friends

b. Watched by brothers or sisters or other relatives
c. You or another adult chooses them or sets up a playlist
d. [He/she] searches for them
e. [He/she] has specific channels or people [he/she] likes to follow
f. Through autoplay or suggestions from YouTube or other video sites
g. Other (specify)
h. Don’t know
i. [CHILD] doesn't do this

Q18. How often, if at all, does your child participate in organized after-school activities, such as going to aftercare, attending
clubs, taking (art, music, or sports) lessons, being tutored, going to a community center, or participating on a sports
team? Response options: Every day, several days a week, once a week, never

[If Q6c, Q6b, Q6d, Q6e, or Q6f=1–5]

Q19. We’re interested in the main reasons your child uses screen media. How important are each of the following reasons your
child does things like watching television and videos or playing digital games? [Randomize; block d and e together]
Response options: Very important, somewhat important, not too important, not important at all

a. For fun
b. Because they're bored
c. Because they learn things from it
d. Because you need to keep them occupied while you are out together
(running errands, grocery shopping, at a restaurant)
e. Because you need the time to get other things done at home
f. Because their friends or siblings are doing it
g. To help them feel better when they are upset
h. To relax

56 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[If more than one item in Q19=very or somewhat]

Q20. Which is the MOST IMPORTANT reason?

[If Q6b, Q6e, Q6d, or Q6f=1–5]

Q21. When [CHILD] is doing the following, how often do you do it with [him/her]? .
[Randomize items; split sample and reverse order of response options for half]
Response options: Most of the time, some of the time, hardly ever, never

a. [If Q6b=1–5] Watching [his/her] TV shows

b. [If Q6e=1–5] Watching online videos (such as on YouTube)
c. [If Q6d=1–5] Playing video games
d. [If Q6f=1–5] Using games or apps on a smartphone or tablet

[If Q6b, Q6c, Q6d, Q6e, or Q6f=1–5]

Q22. Overall, based on the content of the media [CHILD] uses and the amount of time [he/she] spends using it, do you think
[his/her] use of media helps, hurts, or makes no difference to [his/her]: .
[Randomize; split sample and reverse order of response options for half]
Response options: Helps a lot, helps a little, makes no difference, hurts a little, hurts a lot

a. Social skills
b. Learning
c. Ability to focus
d. Behavior
e. Physical activity
f. Creativity
g. Emotional maturity

[If Q22a, Q22c, Q22d, or Q22g=helps a lot or hurts a lot]

Q23. OPEN END: [Depending on responses above] Please give an example of a TV show, game, video, movie, app, or website
that [helps/hurts] [his/her] behavior/social skills/ability to focus/emotional maturity? How and why do you think it
affects your child? .
[Randomly assign to one of these categories based on responses above.]

[If Q6b, Q6c, Q6d, Q6e, or Q6f=1–5]

Q24. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements: .

[Randomize; split sample and reverse response option order for half]
Response options: Strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree

a. It is difficult to get [CHILD] to stop using screen media when I ask.

b. I am satisfied with the amount and quality of educational screen media available for [CHILD].
c. I am overwhelmed by the variety of media options available to [CHILD].
d. [All qualified]

© 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 57
Q25. Thinking about how much time [CHILD] spends with screen media, which of the following statements .
comes closest to your view? [Split sample and reverse response option order for half]

a. [CHILD] spends too MUCH time with screen media

b. [CHILD] spends too LITTLE time with screen media
c. [CHILD] spends the RIGHT amount of time with screen media

[If Q6b, Q6c, Q6d, Q6e, or Q6f=1–5]

Q26. Do you ever use any type of device or app for limiting [CHILD]’s screen time?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know
d. [All qualified]

Q27. As you think about [CHILD]’s use of screen media, today and in the future, how concerned are you about .
each of the following? [Randomize; split sample and reverse response order for half]
Response options: Very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, not at all concerned

a. Spending too much time with media

b. How much sexual content is in media
c. How much violent content is in media
d. People vaping or smoking cigarettes in the media
e. Depictions of drugs and alcohol in the media
f. Cyberbullying online
g. Gender stereotypes of girls and boys in the media
h. Racial and ethnic stereotypes in the media
i. Companies collecting data about [CHILD] through the media
j. How much advertising and materialism there is in the media

58 THE COMMON SENSE CENSUS: MEDIA USE BY KIDS AGE ZERO TO EIGHT, 2020 © 2020 COMMON SENSE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
About Common Sense
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