Young peoples’ use of computers
There is an interesting report today in the Guardian newspaper on the results of an annual survey, undertaken by the UK based ChildWise charity. The finding include:
Some 30% of the 1800 young people questioned say they have a blog and 62% have a profile on a social networking site. Accrording to the report children and young teens are more likely to socialise than do homework online.
Screen time has become so pervasive in the daily lives of five- to 16-year-olds that they are now skilled managers of their free time, juggling technology to fit in on average six hours of TV, playing games and surfing the net, it suggests.
But reading books is falling out of favour – 84% said they read for pleasure in 2006, 80% in 2007 and 74% this year.
Children who use the internet spend on average 1.7 hours a day online, but one in six spent more than three hours a day online on top of the 1.5 hours they spent on their games consoles. They still have time for 2.7 hours of television – though the report says they tend to multitask, doing these activities simultaneously.
One in three said the computer is the single thing they couldn’t live without, compared with a declining number – one in five – who name television.
Pupils are using the internet less while at school, frustrated by the low-tech access and the restrictions put in place to stop them from accessing inappropriate material.
Younger girls are now catching up with boys in the use of games consoles.
WOnder if that’s the same one I heard them talking about on the radio – I think on Broadcasting house yesterday.
They were discussing the difference between what parents said their kids did & what the kids said they did. I think that they said it was done in the South West (of England)