How Children and Adolescents Spend Time Across the World: Work, Play, and Developmental Opportunities

The authors review studies on time use of children and adolescents around the world and discuss developmental implications of population differences. Industrialization and schooling are linked to dramatic declines in time spent on household and wage labor. This labor is often unchallenging, sometime...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological bulletin 1999-11, Vol.125 (6), p.701-736
Main Authors: Larson, Reed W, Verma, Suman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child development
Child psychology
Child, Preschool
Childhood Development
Children
Children & youth
Cross Cultural Differences
Cross-cultural analysis
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Cross-national analysis
Development
Developmental psychology
Education
Employment
Employment Status
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Household Management
Human
Humans
Industrialization
Labour
Leisure Activities
Leisure Time
Male
Motivation
Personality Development
Play and Playthings
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Relationship
Role
Socialization
Socioeconomic Factors
Temporal dimension
Work
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Summary:The authors review studies on time use of children and adolescents around the world and discuss developmental implications of population differences. Industrialization and schooling are linked to dramatic declines in time spent on household and wage labor. This labor is often unchallenging, sometimes hazardous; developmental benefits often do not increase above a limited number of hours; hence, reduction in these activities opens time for activities that may be more developmentally beneficial. Adolescents in East Asian postindustrial societies spend this freed-up time in schoolwork, a use associated with lower intrinsic motivation but high achievement and economic productivity. Adolescents in North America spend more time in leisure, associated with greater self-direction but of an uncertain relation to development. Age, gender, and socioeconomic differences in activities and with whom time is spent are also considered.
ISSN:0033-2909
1939-1455
DOI:10.1037/0033-2909.125.6.701