Watching Television
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Headline

The percent of eighth and tenth grade students watching television for four or more hours per weekday dropped to their lowest point since tracking began in 1991. (See Figure 1)

Importance

When students are watching television excessively, they are less likely to be spending time doing homework or reading, participating in after school activities,¹ exercising frequently,^2,3 or actively engaging in other intellectually stimulating activities.⁴ Students who watched six or more hours of television each day scored lower, on average, than did other students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment (the last year for which data are provided). Likewise, in all countries participating in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study in 1995, eighth graders who watched more than five hours of television per day had the lowest average mathematics scores.⁵

In addition, excessive exposure to violent television programs may increase aggression levels.⁶ Recent research has shown that young adults who routinely watched violent television as children (6- to 10-year-olds) exhibit more aggressive behaviors as young adults than their peers who did not watch violent television.⁷ Research also finds that excessive television viewing at young ages (ages one to three) is linked to a decreased attention span later on.⁸

Trends

The percentage of eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders who reported watching four or more hours of television on an average weekday decreased between 1991 and 2006, with the largest drops occurring in the younger age groups. (See Figure 1)

The percentage of students at each grade level who watched one hour of television or less per day increased between 1991 and 2006, from 20 to 29 percent among eighth graders, from 29 percent to 37 percent among tenth graders, and from 38 percent to 45 percent among twelfth graders. (See Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3)

Recent research on internet use among teenagers report that the number of teens using the internet regularly has climbed steadily in recent years, suggesting that some of the reductions in the amount of time youth spend watching television may be due to the rising prevalence of internet use. In 2007, for example, 93% of youth ages 12 to 17 reported using the internet, up from 87% in 2005, and 73% in 2000.^{9, 10}

Differences by Race

Black students are much more likely than white students to watch four or more hours of television per day on weekdays. (See Figure 2) Among twelfth graders in 2006, 37 percent of black students watched four or more hours of television, compared with 13 percent of white students. This disparity was even greater among tenth and eighth grade students (52 percent versus 15 percent for tenth graders, and 57 percent versus 20 percent for eighth graders). In addition, white students at each grade level are more likely than black students to watch only one hour or less of television on weekdays. For example, in 2006, 42 percent of white students in the tenth grade watched one or fewer hours of television, compared with 14 percent of black students in the tenth grade. (See Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3)

Differences by Parental Education

Students whose parents have a high level of education are less likely to watch greater amounts of weekday television than are students whose parents have low levels of education. For example, among tenth graders in 2006, 31 percent of students whose parents have not completed high school watched four or more hours of television on weekdays compared with 12 percent of students whose parents completed graduate school. (See Figure 3)

Differences by Grade

As students age, the amount of time they spend watching television decreases. Twenty-nine percent of students in eighth grade watched four or more hours of television per day, as compared with 22 percent of tenth graders, and 20 percent of twelfth graders. Similarly, the percentage of students watching less than one hour of television per night increases with age. For example, while 29 percent of eighth graders watched one hour or less of television per night, that number increased to 45 percent in twelfth grade. See Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3)

Differences by College Plans

Students who do not plan to go to college are more likely to watch four or more hours of television on an average weekday. For example, 23 percent of twelfth grade students who do not plan to go to college watch four or more hours of television on an average weekday, compared with 19 percent of those students who plan to go to college. Conversely, eighth and tenth grade students who have plans to go to college are more likely to watch one hour or less of television on an average weekday. For example, in tenth grade, 38 percent of students who plan to go to college watch one hour or less of television on an average weekday, compared with 31 percent of those students who do not plan to go to college. (See Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3)

Related Indicators

None

State and Local Estimates

Estimates for states participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress are available at:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/ (Using the advanced search, under "Variables", select the "Factors Beyond School" category)

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International Estimates

Estimates for countries participating in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the TIMSS-Repeat are available at:

For 8th and 4th grade, Exhibit 4.8: "How Students Spend Their Leisure Time on a Normal School Day":
http://isc.bc.edu/PDF/t03_download/T03_S_Chap4.pdf
For 12th grade, table 4.20 in:
http://www.timss.org/timss1995i/MathScienceC.html

National Goals

None

What Works: Programs and Interventions that May Influence this Indicator

Click here to view examples of programs and interventions that research has evaluated for this indicator. View programs

Research References

¹U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics, 2000. NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress: Three Decades of Student Performance, NCES 2000-469, by J.R. Campbell, C.M. Hombo, and J. Mazzeo. Washington, DC: 2000. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000469

²Pate, Russell R., Heath, Gregory W., Dowda, Marsha, Trost, & Stewart G., Associations between Physical Activity and Other Health Behaviors in a Representative Sample of US Adolescents, American Journal of Public Health, 86(11). November 1996

³Page, Randy M. & Hammermeister, Jon. "Psychosocial and Health-related Characteristics of Adolescent Television Viewers," Child Study Journal, 26(4). 1996

⁴U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics, 2000. NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress: Three Decades of Student Performance, NCES 2000-469, by J.R. Campbell, C.M. Hombo, and J. Mazzeo. Washington, DC: 2000. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000469

⁵Ibid, and Beaton, Albert, et al, 1996. Mathematics Achievement in the Middle School Years: IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study. Chestnut Hill, MA: TIMSS International Study Center. http://isc.bc.edu/timss1995i/TIMSSPDF/BMathAll.pdf

⁶Bushman, Brad J. and Anderson, Craig A. (June/July 2001). "Media Violence and the American Public: Scientific Facts Versus Media Misinformation," American Psychologist, 56(6/7): 477-489.

⁷Huesmann, L. R., Moise-Titus, J., Podolski, C.-L., & Eron, L. D. (2003). Longitudinal Relations Between Children's Exposure to TV Violence and Their Aggressive and Violent Behavior in Young Adulthood: 1977-1992. Developmental Psychology, 39(2), 201-221. A copy of this article can be purchased at: http://www.psycinfo.com/psycarticles/2003-01660-003.html

⁸D.A. Christakis, E.J. Zimmerman, D.L. DiGiuseppe, and C.A. McCarty, "Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children," Pediatrics, 113 (4, 2004): 708-713.

⁹Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Macgill, A., and Smith, A. 2007. "Teens and Social Media." Pew Internet & American Life Project. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/230/report_display.asp

¹⁰Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Hitlin, P. 2005. "Teens and Technology." Pew Internet & American Life Project. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/162/report_display.asp

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Definition

Students were asked, "How much television do you estimate you watch on an average weekday?" Responses were then grouped into the three categories (1 hour or less, 2 to 3 hours, 4 or more hours) based on their answers.

Data Source

Original analysis by Child Trends of Monitoring the Future Data, 1990-2006.

Raw Data Source

Bachman, Jerald G., Lloyd D. Johnston, and Patrick M. O'Malley. Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth (8th, 10th, and 12th-Grade Surveys), 1976-2006 [Computer files]. Conducted by University of Michigan, Survey Research Center. ICPSR ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [producer and distributor].
ICPSR: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu
Monitoring the Future: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/

Date of Next Update

November 2008

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