Changing channels: Early adolescent media choices and shifting investments in family and friends

The decline in TV viewing and increase in music listening associated with the onset of adolescence is examined in terms of the changing social ecology of adolescents' daily lives. Fifth to 9th graders provided self-reports on random moments in their experience over one week. These data suggest that less frequent TV watching by adolescents, as compared to preadolescents, is attributable to a decrease in TV watching done with the family, particularly on weekend mornings and evenings. Adolescents who do watch more TV are those who spend more time with the family overall. In contrast, adolescents who frequently listen to music are those who spend more time with friends. It is argued that the partial shift from television to music during adolescence represents a shift from a medium that reinforces parental values to one that reinforces peer values and speaks to adolescent developmental tasks.This research was carried out at Michael Reese Hospital with a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (No. MH38324).Received Ph.D. from the Committee on Human Development at the University of Chicago. Research focuses on daily experience across the life span.Received his doctorate from the Committee on Human Development at the University of Chicago. Research focuses on how and why mass media industries shape media content as they do, and how, in turn, mass media content is used and experienced in everyday life.Research interests are in the areas of depression and the processes of death and dying. Currently developing a method of investigation utilizing the hermeneutic and human sciences paradigm.