British Children Spend On Average Six Hours A Day Glued To A TV Screen Or Tablet
According to the latest statistics, kids in Britain between the ages of 5 and 16 are glued to a TV screen or tablet for around six to six-and-a-half hours per day.
That represents a 100 percent increase on statistics from 1995, which found that the average time then was around three hours a day.
The figures, which came from market research firm Childwise, also found that teenage boys are the worst culprits, as they spend an average of eight hours a day on their tablets, computers, or televisions.
The definition of “screen time” is not limited just to TV shows or movies, but also includes playing games consoles, using a mobile, computer or tablet.
Childwise researcher Matthew Nevard said something about the new figures.
“This is the first time we have analysed data from the last 20 years of the annual Childwise Monitor surveys to predict the progression of technologies and their usage. This groundbreaking report uses the wealth of historic data we have on children’s media usage to identify trends and theorise how children’s media engagement is likely to develop over the next few year.”
Accordingly, future generations are expected to spend even more time in front of screens, as Nevard explained. “Soon children will expect to stay connected at all times – everywhere and anywhere. This is likely to influence how willing they are to participate in trips out and family holidays.”
Obviously, according to many people and especially parents, the internet is a sort of tree of knowledge for kids, offering them great benefits as well as a number of perils.
As Nevard added, ‘”hey can find the content that they want. Children now don’t remember a time before the internet,” and while that might be true it isn’t necessarily a good thing for children and teens.
The report concluded that “Having appliances which cannot be controlled using a smartphone or some kind of online dashboard may be seen as outdated, or at least increasingly rare.”
[Image credit: ABC]
