Kids pack in nearly 11 hours of media use daily CNET

Kids pack in nearly 11 hours of media use daily CNET


A new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows a "dramatic" rise in the amount of time children and teens spend using entertainment media, "especially among minority youth." The study, "Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-year-olds," only focused on recreational use of media, not homework, school-related online research, or reading books for school.The report, which was released Wednesday, showed that 8- to 18-year-olds "devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day." That adds up to more than 53 hours a week. And thanks to multitasking, they wind up packing in nearly 10 hours and 45 minutes of content during those seven and a half hours.The study looked at the use of TV, computers, video games, music, print, and cell phones. It found that media use increased by one hour and 17 minutes a day over the past five years.

Increase in "TV" watching--kids still read books

Although regular TV watching declined by 25 minutes a day, the consumption of online video through the Web, cell phones, and iPods caused an actual increase in total "TV" consumption from 3 hours, 51 minutes to 4 hours, 29 minutes. This includes 24 minutes online, 16 minutes on iPods and other media players, and 15 minutes on cell phones. When it comes to TV viewing, the study asked: "How much time did you spend watching TV shows or movies?" This question, according to
Victoria Rideout, Kaiser Family Foundation vice president and director of the study, refers to online or broadcast television programming and movies, not user-generated content from sites like YouTube. It concludes that "young people continue to spend more time consuming TV content than engaged in any other media activity."