Remote Control

Children, Media Consumption and the Changing American Family

The average American child spends over 40 hours per week consuming media, the equivalent of a full-time job. This means that by the time children born today turn 30, they will have spent an entire decade of their lives in front of some type of screen. REMOTE CONTROL, based on the findings of the Kaiser Family Foundation's landmark study Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8 to 18-year-olds, examines the implications of this unprecedented level of exposure. Putting a human face on the report's statistical findings, filmmaker Bob McKinnon explores the media habits of two families, supplementing their powerful personal insights with testimony from media experts, educators, and policymakers. REMOTE CONTROL offers a fascinating look at the centrality of media in our lives, revealing far-reaching effects that we are only beginning to understand, and suggesting ways we might begin to help our children live a life instead of watching one.