Is the internet killing kids cable TV? Not so much

February 16, 2007 by Gary Rusak

We heard a lot of talk at last week’s KidScreen Summit that suggested despite the proliferation of media options for kids, good ole TV is still king with the under-18 crowd. Two new reports studies in Canada and the US, respectively, bear that theory out.

Canuck kidcaster YTV commissioned Solutions Research Group to examine how kids while away their free time. The report shows tweens spend 45% of their media time watching television, 14% on the internet,12% on video games, 11% downloading music, 11% listening to the radio, 6% watching DVDs, and 1% using cell phones.

TV also has a substantial lead in the overall accessibility category, with 92% of children surveyed reporting they watch television, compared to only 55% who say they surf the web. While the survey shows that kids are adapting to new media such as cell phones, text messaging and gaming, TV still holds the hammer.

In the US, Magna Global has just released its annual report on kids and TV. VP and director of audience analysis Lisa Quan, who conducted the study, crunched Nielsen Media Research Data in the US and came to the same conclusion.

‘Kids aren’t running away from television the way we thought they might be,’ Quan says.

According to the report, tweens ages nine to 14 and teens ages 12 to 17 have not changed their television habits over the last year. In fact, kids between the ages of two to 11 are watching more TV than they were just five years ago.

With files from Crissandra Ayroso