Why do kids spend more time on computers and TVs than playing outside?

Answer 1

This is a question debated by social scientists and psychologists as well as parents. Anecdotally, it certainly seems that kids today do not go outside to play as much as they did in past decades. The reasons are complex. Fifty years ago, kids played outside more because there were fewer reasons to stay indoors. There were only a handful of television stations in the early 1960s (and no cable TV either); no internet; no Facebook, no smartphones. Most kids came home from school, changed their clothes (students, and teachers, still were expected to dress more formally back then) and then went outside to see their friends till it was time to eat dinner.

Today, much has changed. There are many more distractions: hundreds of TV channels, laptops and various portable devices, and of course, there are Video Games. The 24/7 cable channels have persuaded many parents that we live in a very dangerous world, filled with potential child abductors and murderers. Although the crime rate is actually on the decline, brutal and frightening crime stories often lead the news and are the focus of intense scrutiny, even when they are not reflective of actual trends in society. There are some studies that discuss the "mean world syndrome": the more TV crime and violence people see and hear about, the more they come to believe the world is not a very safe place.

Sociologist Robert Putnam wrote a famous essay in the mid 1990s called "Bowling Alone," about how not just kids are spending time in solitary activities-- parents too are not joining civic groups or participating in outside volunteerism as they did fifty years ago. So while generalities are usually false, there is some evidence that society has indeed changed, and solitary pursuits are currently more popular than going out. It's not just kids who spend a lot of time online or prefer to text their friends rather than hang out with them -- parents too spend considerable time on Facebook or Twitter.

To sum up, society has changed for a variety of reasons. Some of the most commonly mentioned are: there are more divorces and more kids being raised by only one parent, leading that parent to use TV as a babysitter. There are more distractions (like video games) that seem more interesting to kids than going anywhere. There are parents who believe the world is dangerous and it's better for kids to be inside. And in a difficult economy, people save money by staying home and watching movies from the comfort of their living room.

And yet, it should also be noted that all over the country, there are many kids who play soccer or join the hockey team or learn to play tennis or join the science club. Not every kid is sitting at home sending texts; there are also many who are participating in outdoor activities, but the media may not be reporting on them as much as on those kids who sit at home playing the latest video game.