This is up over an hour from five years ago, when the foundation suggested that media usage could not rise much further. Well, it has.

Add to this the 90 minutes a day kids spend texting, and another half-hour they spend on the phone that wasn’t included in that figure, and you must think they’re never putting their gadgets down.

Kaiser’s findings are sure to add to those who subscribe to the “turn on, tune it, drop out” theory when it comes to technology. Nearly half of the heaviest users )16 hours plus) had grades of C or lower — essentially failing school — and that number dropped to under a quarter among the lightest users (3 hours plus). We should note here that while these hours sound too high, most media consumption among teens is done through multitasking, requiring far less time.

“The amount of time young people spend with media has grown to where it’s even more than a full-time work week,” KFF president and CEO Dr. Drew Altman said. “When children are spending this much time doing anything, we need to understand how it’s affecting them – for good and bad.”

Is it really technology’s fault, however? I’d argue that it isn’t. Parents must take responsibility in limiting their children’s media usage. Arguably in many cases we’re using video games, television, and other forms to “babysit” our kids, and its forming these bad habits and addictions.

Share/E-Mail

In fact, some are seeing years of progress wiped out as investors head for the hills. Among the top five tech stocks (in terms of market capitalization), all are down significantly, with most trading quite close to 52-week lows and in some cases multi-year lows.

Microsoft, the largest technology company, has seen its stock fall nearly 21 percent year-over-year as of Tuesday. This is especially frustrating for the company’s shareholders considering the stock saw an impressive run towards the end of 2007 where the stock peaked at $37.50 a share in early November. Since then, the stock has taken a precipitous decline, losing a third of its value and falling back to the levels it has been stuck near for much of the decade.

#2 IBM is also down 18.5 percent, and so is #5 Hewlett Packard, which has fallen nearly 23 percent during the pas year. The biggest drops among the tech heavyweights are Cisco and Google, both falling by more than a third.

Cisco, third in market cap, has seen its stock fall more than 40 percent. The stock is now at its lowest point since August 2006, and the stock hit its 52-week low on Tuesday. Fourth place Google has not fared much better, down 42 percent and hitting a also hitting 52-week lows.

As we move onto notable companies outside the top five, the news isn’t any better. Apple has gotten mauled as investors worry about slowing consumer spending, it’s down about 45 percent and at a 18-month low. Yahoo has taken a beating as uncertainty over its future is just not something that is a good thing in this market — down 47 percent there, and at a five-year low.

Other poor performers include SAP, down 33 percent; Research in Motion and Dell, both down about 47%; and eBay, down 54 percent. All in all, this market’s brutal to say the least.

There is some solace. Tech stocks for the most part should not see as steep declines as their traditional market brethren due to less exposure to the credit crisis than most. While yes, it would affect those companies with less-than-sanguine financials, most should make it through with modest losses.

However, in a recessionary environment, there is downward pressure on just about all stocks. With so much of the industry having exposure to the consumer, as they spend less and less revenues will decrease, and thus will cause the stock prices to decline.

Like with any bear market, the best thing to do is have a long-term strategy. If you’re looking for a quick buck, this isn’t the market for you, and probably won’t be for months if not years. Even so, in what many analysts see as an “oversold” market, there are some bargains out there.

Share/E-Mail