The average American child grows up in a home with an
average of 3.6 CD or tape players, 3.5 TVs, 3.3 radios,
2.9 VCRs/DVD players, 2.1 video game consoles, and 1.5
computers (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
83% of kids, eight to eighteen, have at least one video
game player in their home, 31% have 3 or more video game
players, and 49% have video game players in their bedrooms
(Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
Children, ages 8 to 18, spend more time (44.5 hours
per week- 61/2 hours daily) in front of computer, television,
and game screens than any other activity in their lives
except sleeping (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
A national survey found that 92% of children, ages 2-17,
play video and computer games (National Institute on Media
and the Family, 2001).
98.2% of U.S. households own a television set. 99.9%
of those are color (Television Bureau of Advertising,
2001).
More than 80% of children live in homes that have cable
or satellite TV service (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
31% of kids have high speed internet access at home
(Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
Teens report use of the Internet:
89% use email
84% search entertainment sites
81% play online games
76% search for current events
75% instant message
(Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2005)
54% of children surveyed (ages 10 -17) use their computer
at home to access chat rooms (National Public Radio, 2000).
31% of children surveyed (ages 10 -17) report having
seen a pornographic site on the Internet (National Public
Radio, 2000).
33% of children aged 8 to 17 said that the Web would
be the medium they would want to have if they couldn't
have any others. Television was picked by 26% of kids;
telephone by 21%; and radio by 15% (MediaPost Communications,
2002, May 2).
Kids (8-18), on average, listen to 1¾ hours of
music every day, with older teens (15-18) listening for
2 ½ hours a day (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
One-third of kids (12-14) own a cell phone, while 57%
of teens (15-17) own a cell phone (Pew Internet and American
Life Project, 2005).
Almost two-thirds of kids have a portable CD, tape,
or MP3 player (65%), and half (55%) have a handheld video
game player (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
70-80% of the U.S. population read magazines and newspapers
monthly (Bruner, 2002)
What's Happening
Today's youth are wired for media use more than ever before.
The televisions in their bedrooms are most likely hooked to
cable or linked to VCRs and video game machines. The Internet
is reached via a nearby computer or over a cable hookup.
Two areas of technology are emerging to change the way we
and our children use media.
Interactive television with the convergence of television
and Internet use.
The revolution in wireless communication (cell phone
and Internet access)
With the advent of digital television, our sets will be able
to receive signals over a greater bandwidth. Digital TV sets
the stage for a more interactive use of television. The viewer
will have much more control over what they watch and how they
watch it. Television will become a place to do shopping, play
games, e-mail friends, and select movies to watch. They will
be able to view interactive programs where one can switch
from a program to an Internet web site that presents more
information about what is being watched. The viewer can click
on an alternative video stream, music or commentary about
a particular subject or interest. The potential for commercial
use is unlimited. Viewers will be able to buy any item they
see in a program by merely clicking on it, viewing purchasing
information, and buying it.
Wireless communication will bring the world of information
to users no matter where they are. Cell phone use, exploding
over the last few years, now connects to the Internet. Thus
besides being able to place a call, the user can text or search
the Internet. The ramifications of this instantaneous information
access is only beginning to be felt, for commercial, business,
and personal use.
Sources
Bruner, Rick E. (2002, November 1). U.S. Internet growth
rate coming to an end? MediaPost, accessed at: http://www.mediapost.com
(last visited 11/1/02).
Horizon Media Research, 1999.
Kaiser Family Foundation (2005, March). Generation M:
Media in the lives of eight to eighteen year olds. Available
online at: http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia030905pkg.cfm
(last visited 10/2006).
MediaPost Communications (2002, May 2). Girls start
out on the phone. Center for Media Research, accessed
at: http://www.centerformediaresearch.com
(last visited 10/22/02).
MediaPost Communications (2002, September 30). More
kids on cell phones. Media Daily News, accessed at: http://www.mediapost.com
(last visited 10/31/02).
