Ani, 11

Media Consumption: My daily average on my phone is about 5 hours. My daily average on my iPad is about 3 hours.

Favorite Media/Technology: I like my iPad because I can play Roblox.

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

We have Ring cameras all around the house and Apple tags. For the Apple tags, we use them in our cars, backpacks, and our bags, so in case they get lost we can track them on our phones. We also watch movies together on the TV.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

We mostly use technology to message and call each other. We also play horror games on Roblox. Sometimes I use my iPad to draw as well.

What do you use media for?

I mostly use it play games and message my friends.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

My favorite thing about media is all the people you can meet through games like Roblox. I think the bad thing is also all the people you can meet because sometimes people can be rude.

What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?

I think they should make apps more safe for kids. You can always report people but it usually takes a lot of reports to get someone banned. I think the moderators should read the reports and figure out what’s false and what isn’t and also to IP ban people. This would prevent them from making a new account at all.

What media do you interact with the most?

Probably Roblox where I can play games with my friends or message them. I also like Safari because it helps me with my homework sometimes.

Where do you get most of your information about what’s happening in the world (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?

For me I would usually get it off the internet or I would get my information from my teachers or parents.

What media helps you stay busy/stay calm during challenging times?

Probably YouTube since I can watch videos and that’ll usually get my mind off things, but I don’t always go on media.

What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

I mostly learned about media and social platforms during Covid-19. When we were quarantined I learned a lot about media safety too.

Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

Yes, I’ve learned how to use media safely during quarantine and I’ve learned to be careful about what I say and do online. I also learned that sometimes, it's better to have class in person because it’s more interactive. This makes it easier to learn and it’s more fun.

Interviewed by: Lily Simitian, UCLA student