Ann-Katrin Agebäck / More Than Just Child´s Pl@y?

Little Kids & Media 2010

Methods

Quantitative survey of media habits and media experiences:

2 000 children and teens between 9-16 years of age2 000 parents of children between 9-16 years of age

2 000 parents to children between 2-9 years of age

Questionnaires mailed to a representative selection of the population.

• Replies: 60 % • Half of the answers are from boys, half from girls. • Of the answers from parents 83 percent are from women!

Media habits

For children between 2-12 television is still the most popular media, for the teens the internet has the top ranking for the first time in history.

The use of computers and the internet is increasing at a rapid pace from an early age. 96 % of the 5-9 use the computer, mainly playing games and looking at videoclips.

Almost all, 97 %, between 12-16 use the internet.

To use and communicate through social networking sites has increased sharply since 2008 (37 % of 12-16 do it often), while e-mail, chat and being with friends offline has decreased.

Does the child have access to any of the following at home?

What does the child do most often on his/her leisure time?

How often does the child use/watch/play (school excluded)…?

How much time does the child spend on (school excluded)…?

What does the child use the computer for? (2-5)

What does the child use the computer for? (5-9)

How often are you together with the child when he/she is using/watching/playing…? (users)

Do you and the child talk about what he/she has seen on/played…? (users)

Does the child watch/read the news on…?

How does the child react to the news?

Has the child shown signs of being ill at ease from watching any of the following content?

Gender differences Gender differences hardly exists among children 2-5. The older

they grow the more visible are the differences.

Regarding computer games gender differences are huge. While 72 % of the boys 12-16 often plays, only 20 % of the girls do it.

Many more girls than boys feel bad from content or experiences using media (for example bullying, kids or animals suffering, non-fictional violence, pornography). Twice as many boys (30 %) as girls say they don´t feel bad from anything at all.

Parent´s opinions

Do you feel pressured to make the child use the Internet?

Parents’ opinions about the effects of computer/console games, TV and the Internet

Do you pay attention to the age ratings on computer/console games?

Do you feel that advertising causes the child to go on/nag about buying things?

What is your opinion about advertising directed towards children?

What is your opinion of TV-shows where children compete against each other and that include some kind of voting

procedure?

Parents have a positive attitude to the media use of their children. The most common opinions are that it is fun and amusing, instructive and a way to communicate.

The most negative attitude concerns computer games and extensive use.

Children to parents under 30 use all media more than children with older parents.

Rating what makes their child feel bad parents overestimate fictional violence and horror, compared to the children, and underestimates suffering and realistic violence.

Thanks for your attention!

Ann Katrin AgebäckSwedish Media Council

[email protected]

The reports areavailable in Swedishat www.medieradet.se