Common Sense Research

csm research

About the Research Program

The mission of Common Sense Research is to provide parents, educators, health organizations, and policymakers with reliable, independent data on children's use of media and technology and the impact it has on their physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. For further inquiries, contact us at [email protected].

Featured Research

The Common Sense Census: Plugged-In Parents of Tweens and Teens 2016
December 6, 2016
In the first Common Sense Census focused on parents, we take an in-depth look at parents' personal media use and their attitudes and concerns about their kids' media use. The report uncovers key strategies for balancing screen time and family time.
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Connection and Control: Case Studies of Media Use Among Lower-Income Minority Youth and Parents
October 24, 2016
This report focuses on the individual stories of African-American and Latino youth and their parents, revealing how interconnected youth media practices are with their relationships, their parents' practices, and their own interests and desires.
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Technology Addiction: Concern, Controversy, and Finding Balance
May 3, 2016
This brief examines the latest scientific research about problematic media use, articulating its pervasiveness, forms, and possible impacts on youth's well-being and development, yielding some surprising findings and raising many more questions.
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The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens
November 3, 2015
The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens is a large-scale study that explores young people’s use of the full range of media.
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Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image
A Common Sense Research Brief
January 21, 2015
Our review of dozens of research studies on body image reveals its importance to kids' healthy development and the influential power of media -- and parents -- to shape attitudes and behaviors, beginning when kids are very young.
Read the summary | Download the full report (2.01 MB)
Children, Teens, and Reading
A Common Sense Research Brief
May 12, 2014
A review of national data and surveys on rates of reading and reading achievement over time among kids and teens.
Read the summary | Download the full report (1.13 MB)
Advertising to Children and Teens: Current Practices
A Common Sense Research Brief
January 28, 2014
This research brief reviews new techniques being used to market to kids and teens, scans what's known about current methods of advertising, and identifies gaps in research on the topic.
Read the summary | Download the full report (634.15 KB)
Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America 2013
A Common Sense Research Study
October 28, 2013
Second in a series of nationally representative surveys of parents of U.S. kids ages zero to eight conducted to understand children's patterns of use for TV, reading, music, computers, video games, and mobile digital media.
Read the summary | Download the full report (933.77 KB)
Media and Violence: An Analysis of Current Research
A Common Sense Research Brief
February 13, 2013
This brief reviews the latest scientific research about violence in the media and its possible effects on aggressive behavior.
Read the summary | Download the full report (671.28 KB)

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