Abstract

Communication technologies permeate the homes of American families today. The average child lives in a household with four television sets, two radios, three DVD or VCR players, two CD players, two video game consoles, and two computers (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). Moreover, children spend over seven and a half hours each day using these media (Rideout et al., 2010). In many American homes, the television occupies a central space in the main gathering area, often accompanied by a surround-sound system and other technologies to heighten the quality and realism of the viewing experience.