Commonsensemedia.org reports large increases in media use among children without an increase in comparable media literacy skills. With new devices like tablets, phones and multi-use gaming devices, children can now multitask to compress an already increased media use of 7.5 hours to the data consumption equivalent of 10 hours.
Thinking about that in the context where media is mind food from my book “Does This News Make Me Look Fat?“, this trend of child media multitasking is like sticking bacon and sausage into a turkey. A big meal. Not a healthy one.  A potentially significant exposure to a lot more different and unhealthy media ingredients.

In fact, according the same report, three youth groups that seem to have the highest consumption and the greatest negative effect: preteens, African Americans, and Hispanics. The children in such groups spend more time consuming media, have lower grades and lower personal contentment.

For more read: Media Use in Kids Ages 8-18 Has Exploded or read about media literacy and the mental obesity epidemic in my book Does This News Make Me Look Fat? available now.