Claire Christensen, PhD

New AI model flags fast-paced kids’ videos with 85% precision—advancing scalable research on media’s effects and supporting healthier digital play.

Most YouTube videos intended to teach early literacy and math don’t use characters or narratives that help children feel comfortable to learn.

A new report from SRI Education describes the quality of educational YouTube videos for prekindergarten- and kindergarten-age children. Findings point to surprising differences from educational television shows, including less use of characters and plot to help kids learn. Many parents question the quality of YouTube video content. So do researchers. According to the 2020 Common Sense Media Census, children are spending more time watching videos online than in any other format. Streaming sites like YouTube have surpassed even television viewing.…

SRI's Claire Christensen is an expert in media for young children and explains how to empower parents to help manage screen time.

An educational media expert, Christensen specializes in early childhood media across a range of subjects including STEM, literacy and social-emotional learning.

Educational programs like “Molly of Denali” can boost learning.

You’ve probably seen studies showing that high-quality media can teach children new information. Two new studies from EDC and SRI Education tell us something more: Well-designed media can also teach children how to get information. Molly of Denali is a popular new PBS KIDS series focused on informational text. To succeed in school and life, children need to know how to get information, whether it’s reading a map, watching a how-to video, looking something up in an index, or identifying…

In our research we had the opportunity to investigate the The PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science app with the help of 32 families each of whom had at least one 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old child at home. We asked parents to use the resources in the app with their chi

Young children spend about two hours each day using screen-based media, about half of which is spent on educational media, according to their parents. Many studies report that children can learn a range of skills from well-designed educational media. Yet we know relatively little about whether and how well children are able to apply skills they’ve learned from digital media in the real world. This question is particularly important for subjects that involve learning about the physical world, like science.…

In Jackson, Mississippi, researchers visited a family of seven (including a niece and nephew), headed by a stay-at-home mom in her 20s. During the visit, the children sat around the mom as she described their latest learning activities, including 1-on-1 homework time and making “slime.” One activity—planting a seed in the yard in front of their apartment building—garnered a lot of excitement. Here’s how the mom described her family’s experience. “[My son] wanted to know, ‘How did that tree get…

Video is an extremely engaging medium for children, and research suggests that it may help promote social-emotional learning (SEL) in children. Given the ongoing debate about the value of screen time, many parents and educators are seeking…

Online video watching is at an all-time high Toddlers and preschoolers today are spending more time watching videos on online streaming services like YouTube than in any other format (The Comon Sense Census, 2020). According to a 2020 report,…