Report: TV Use Remains Strong Among Tweens

SAN FRANCISCO: TV is the media activity tweens engage in most often, according to a new report from Common Sense Media, which found that kids in the 8 to 12 demo spend an average of six hours a day on entertainment media.

The figure is even higher for teens, who spend an average of nine hours a day on entertainment media. Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens reports that race, class and gender all impact how young people engage with media, and points to a "digital equality gap," with low-income children having less access to computers, tablets or smartphones.

"Our world is changing and kids are spending a lot of time with media—and they are doing it in a variety of ways and on many platforms," said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media.  "The census really sheds light on how different media use is for different kids—from boys to girls, low income to more affluent, and kids from all ethnic backgrounds. There are a lot of ways media use can be educational and beneficial for our kids, from learning apps and web sites to creating content. The media use census provides parents, educators and the media industry with an excellent overview of what kids are doing today and how we can make the most of the media and technology in their lives."

Overall, tweens average more than 4.5 hours of screen media use a day and teens more than 6.5 hours. Sixty-two percent of tweens engage with television every day. For teens, the most common media activity is listening to music.

"The diversity of media-use patterns among youth is astounding," said report author Vicky Rideout, senior consultant to Common Sense Media, "but it’s interesting to see that through it all TV and music continue to be the media of choice—and that social networking lags significantly behind."