Media Stacking Shows Massive Growth amid Younger Generation, States CHILDWISE

31 Oct 2012 • by Natalie Aster

Children’s enthusiastic embrace of new media has resulted in a steady increase in hours of screen time, with digital use largely in addition to television viewing. The way in which children and young people watch, share, discuss and interact with their media is evolving. Over the last decade innovations such as mobile internet and social media have revolutionised the way in which children connect with the wider world, giving rise to the phenomenon of ‘media stacking’.

A recent study into TV viewing habits among adults in the UK uncovered massive growth in the multi-media activity (media stacking), with more than three quarters (76%) of viewers surfing the web on their laptops, or using their mobile phones and tablets, whilst simultaneously consuming their favorite TV shows.

Among children this behaviour is now an integral part of their lives – they are born into a digital world and have never known a time without the internet affecting all aspects of their daily life. Young people are more likely than any other age group to use multiple forms of media simultaneously (96% of 18-24 year olds confess to media multi-tasking, compared with 63% of those over 55), paving the way for an entirely new approach to media consumption.

In 2009 researchers from the University of Bristol revealed that children as young as 10 are increasingly overlapping their media habits. In some cases they were shown to be interacting with up to five screens whilst simultaneously watching TV.

Television remains central to children’s lives, but in recent years the conventional TV set has been joined by a number of other technologies, many of which appeal to an ever younger audience.

Fewer than one in ten children aged 5?16 say they generally focus exclusively on the television when watching (7%) – most name at least one other activity that they do at the same time, with an average of 3.3 activities mentioned overall.

It has become clear that the entire landscape of TV viewing, and indeed wider media consumption, is changing – multi platform access to a whole range of material can blur the boundaries between different delivery channels, and between the real and virtual world, giving an extra dimension to children’s lives. Dual screen involvement is actively promoted by broadcasters, making this increasingly part of the mainstream.

The purpose of “CHILDWISE MONITOR Special Report 2012 - Children's Cross Media Activity” by CHILDWISE is to explore the relationship that children and young people have with modern technology – their preferred media channels, the profile of the most active users, and what is it that motivates them to use several channels simultaneously.

Report Details:

CHILDWISE MONITOR Special Report 2012 - Children's Cross Media Activity
Published: September, 2012
Pages: 45
Price: US$ 825,00

This research builds on, and seeks to answer questions sparked off by the statistical data presented in annual CHILDWISE Monitor Report, which covers 5-16 year olds – to explore further; carried out online in-depth interviews with twenty media consuming teenagers.

More information can be found in the report “CHILDWISE MONITOR Special Report 2012 - Children's Cross Media Activity” by CHILDWISE.

To order the report or ask for sample pages contact [email protected]

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