Turned on, tuned in or dropped out? Young children’s use of television and transmission of social advantage

Abstract

A study of young children’s TV use by the Australian Institute of Family Studies and the University of New England has found that disadvantaged children are watching more television than children in families from higher socio-economic backgrounds.  The report of the study appears as Chapter 5 in "The longitudinal study of Australian children: Annual statistical report 2011". The research also found that the higher a family’s socio-economic position, the higher the chances that their child would be read a story and the more likely it was that when stories were read, the activity would last for longer. Among the most disadvantaged families 41-47 per cent of children were not read to at all, compared to only 15-22 percent of children in the most advantaged families