Net’s Big, But TV Still Rules For Teens

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We’re often told that today’s youngsters have no interest in “old media”, but new figures on technology use by Australian kids and teens finds that TV still outstrips the Internet.

According to research by ACMA, computer usage is common even amongst very young children — 40% of three-year olds spend time using a PC, a figure that rises to 88% for the 17-year olds. However, despite high usage rates for the Internet and gaming consoles, the most common media experience for the youth of Australia remains TV:

Patterns of media use change considerably as children move from early childhood to teenage years and as more media tools become available – however, the one constant is watching television, with the same average participation of 94 per cent for children and young people of all age groups.

Those kind of numbers will invariably bring out the “when we were young we played with a stick and were happy” whiners, which tends to entirely ignore the need to ensure kids are literate in a range of media. We’ve published plenty of tips on how to ensure kids are using PCs in a safe and educational way; share your own extra strategies (or horrified/gawping reactions) in the comments.

Computers and DVDs an increasing part of young Australians’ lives [ACMA]


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