How young children spend their time: Television and other activities

Time-use diaries were collected over a 3-year period for 2 cohorts of 2- an d 4-year-old children. TV viewing declined with age. Time spent in reading and educational activities increased,with age on weekdays but declined on w eekends. Time-use patterns were sex-stereotyped, and sex differences increa sed with age. As individuals' time in educational activities, social intera ction, and video games increased, their time watching entertainment TV decl ined, but time spent playing covaried positively with entertainment TV. Edu cational TV viewing was not related to time spent in non-TV activities. Mat ernal education and home environment quality predicted frequent viewing of educational TV programs and infrequent viewing of entertainment TV. The res ults do not support a simple displacement hypothesis; the relations of TV v iewing to other activities depend on the program content, the nature of the competing activity, and the environmental context.