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Children's changing media habits

Summary

26 October 2012

Television is losing its long established status as the main form of entertainment for children. In Britain at least, kids are spending more time surfing the internet and sending text messages than ever before, according to a new study.

Reporter:

Mark Gregory

Report

The television set in the living room used to rule the entertainment choices of generations of British children. But that's no longer the case, at least not according to the latest annual survey of young people's media habits, carried out by the British media regulator, Ofcom. 

The survey found that 12 to 15 year olds spent equal amounts of time watching TV and going online - 17 hours a week on average for each medium. And asked which media device they most valued, teenagers rated their mobile phone above the family TV set. Smart phone ownership among teenagers was found to have doubled in just 12 months. 

The survey paints a picture of an increasingly tech savvy¹ younger generation, with even very young children confident about, and familiar with, a wide variety of digital devices. The survey says the take up of digital technologies is faster among teenagers than the general population. 

It also comments on the popularity² of text messaging, especially among girls. Teenage girls typically send 30 or more text messages a day, 35% more than boys do. Ofcom says the findings highlight the challenges parents face in keeping up with children's use of technology in order to protect them.