Growing Up in the Digital Age: Early Learning and Family Media Ecology

Media is so pervasive that it should no longer be considered a nuisance variable that could affect development; rather, it should be seen as a fundamental part of the context in which development occurs. Despite the rapid growth in access to digital media, there is a scarcity of research examining changes in the family media ecology and the subsequent effects of early media exposure on sociocognitive development. Early research was erroneously focused on the absolute amount of exposure by the child. Current research now considers the entire household, including both intentional exposure to child-directed content and unintended exposure to background media sources. Such research demonstrates that young children can and do learn from well-designed media, particularly when they engage with other people during digital play.