Scouting for Learning: Surfacing Opportunities and Challenges Through a Mobile Diary Study

Abstract

Survey research shows that “screen time” for young children tripled from 2015-2017 and the most recent studies with nationally representative data suggests children spend an average of 46 minutes a day engaging with digital content on mobile devices. This increase has stirred debate about the benefits and drawbacks of digital resources for development and differential benefits for those with greater and fewer financial resources. We report our methodological approach that uses a remote diary tool to provide snapshots of how digital resources are being used at home by an economically and geographically diverse sample of families with 5-10-year-old children.