M, 7

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

My parents allow us to play video games and stuff like that on our own time…the rules about it are: You're not allowed to have it before dinner or before school and we have to finish all our homework and we aren’t allowed to watch anything scary or inappropriate. We’re also not allowed to take pictures of each other if we don’t like it. If we search up something scary or inappropriate we delete YouTube then reinstall it, then it’ll think it’s an entirely new person.

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

I believe my friends use more [technology] than me. My friend has [an Xbox] and he allows me to use it, and it’s really fun. We play street fighting games, and we go on missions to defeat people. When we play Super Smash Bros we choose our characters and fight with different moves. When we play Star Wars battlefront we choose the light or dark side and then get to use different people to destroy others.

What do you use media for?

I like to use technology cause it’s entertaining and because it’s really fun. I use the Promethean board in school for about three hours a day, and for two extra hours a day if I have a project for homework. On Wednesdays I have 30 minutes in my computer class, which is coding and stuff. I use technology for fun for about two hours per day, and I can’t count how many hours I use it for fun on the weekends. I also really like to read Harry Potter with regular books. I listen to music on my mom’s phone sometimes and FaceTime and text my brothers. I don’t use any social media. Sometimes I watch movies with my family. I have my own ChromeBook for school and I got my own iPad when I was 6 years old.

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

My favorite thing about technology is that I get to play video games with my friends and watch entertaining YouTube videos. It’s a good way to relax after school and homework. I like to watch people play video games [like Roblox and Minecraft] on YouTube more than I actually like to play them. I like to play on my friend’s Xbox because the Xbox is supposed to have better graphics than the PS5. I like to play street fighting games and we play Super Smash Bros…we also really like Star Wars Battlefront…there’s a Tony Hawk Skating game but that’s not on the Xbox.

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

I just like to watch and play video games, I don’t like the scary and inappropriate stuff. I like video games with better graphics!

What media are you using more now because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

I use texting, FaceTime, and video games more because of quarantine, because it’s hard to see my friends. I try to call my friends but it’s hard to do. I send my grandma pictures, like last year my brother got a new bike. When we make gingerbread houses I send her pictures of that.

Where do you get most of your information to learn more about changes during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?

When we re-download YouTube and it thinks we’re a new person it shows us news about COVID, but I don’t usually look at it. I learn things about COVID from my parents and teachers.

What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during the COVID-19 pandemic?

I play video games and watch YouTube to stay busy during the pandemic.

What lessons have you learned from COVID-19?

I have learned that family and friends are important.

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

I have learned that I like to use technology to keep myself entertained when I’m bored, and also that it’s fun to talk to my friends that way.

Interviewed by: Hattie Bleeker, UCLA Student