Almost one-third of Oakland youth spend six hours or more on a screen daily for fun. In our youth survey, 32% of respondents reported spending that much time on a cell phone, tablet, TV, computer or video game for fun outside of school. Nationally, 48% of kids spend more than six hours per day online with mostly noneducational platforms; the average online time doubled during the pandemic. 6 In Oakland, Black youth are four times more likely than White children to spend 11 or more hours per day on screen, and about twice as likely as Latino/a and Asian youth to be on that long. Kids in elementary schools are twice as likely to spend over 11 hours on screens as high school students. Parents often bemoan that video games and technology keep kids less physically active. While there’s truth to that, video games succeed by focusing on what kids want – action, freedom to experiment, competition without exclusion, playing with friends as co-players, and no parents looking over their shoulder to critique every move.
WHAT YOUTH LIKE MOST ABOUT PLAYING SPORTS
Playing with friends
51%
Having fun
35%
Exercising to stay healthy
29%
Learning new skills
26%
Getting better at sports
17%
Competing
17%
Challenging myself
15%
Winning
15%
Making my family proud
14%
Making new friends
13%
* Multiple answers allowed Source: Aspen Institute Youth Survey
STATE OF PLAY OAKLAND
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