By DAVID DEATON
Are kids today tethered to technology? Well, according a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average kid listens to 2.5 hours of music each day, watches almost five hours of TV and movies a day and spends three hours of his time playing with the internet and video games, and just 38 minutes reading a book.
To me, this is why after-school programs like the Boys and Girls Club of LeFlore County are so important. The BGCLC offers kids a chance to be outside, get some exercise and the opportunity to get homework completed before they have to go home.
The survey also states that the 75 hours of media every week used by kids does not include the hour and a half spent text messaging each day, and the half hour kids talk on the cell phone.
Thanks to the latest cell phone technology kids can play video games, listen to music, watch their favorite TV show and movie without even having to get up and find a remote, because all this is available on cell phones.
The survey also discovered that our multitasking kids pays a price for their digital lives on their report cards. About half of the kids who spend more time on their technology devices have received C’s or lower in school.
Only a third of kids surveyed said their parents put limits on TV or computer use.
But maybe parents should pay more attention. When parents do provide even minimal guidelines, it has a real impact. Kids’ media consumption drops by nearly three hours a day.
I’m not sure about the statistics on kids who attend after-school programs, but as an advocate for the BGCLC, I am sure the students’ grades improve because of the homework help we offer and because computer access, along with cell phones are limited.
Even so, it’s clear that today’s kids live in a very different world than the generations before them.
To find out more about the BGCLC, contact our office at 918 647-7136. Be sure to check us out on facebook and our website at www.thebgclc.org