Study: Children Using Phones To View Content, Ditching Television
LOS GATOS, Calif. (CBS Sacramento) -- Children are watching the majority of digital content on their phones or tablets rather than the traditional television, according to new research.
Several studies indicate that young children and teens are using their mobile devices to access streaming content, from YouTube to Netflix, rather than turning on an actual TV, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Experts says a massive shift is underway in how children are consuming digital video.
"The shift away from traditional broadcast cable-TV services, that's been happening for years, but now we've hit critical mass," Terence Burke, vice president of research for the kid-focused market-research company KidSay, told the Union-Tribune. "Kids still watch TV. They still head to Disney and Nickelodeon, just in much smaller numbers and for much shorter durations."
A study from market-research firm Smarty Pants found that 81 percent of 6- to 8-years-olds used YouTube and 76 percent of 9- to 12-year olds use it. Research also suggests that 71 percent of 6- to 8-year-olds also use Netflix.
On-demand services like YouTube and Netflix offer children options that television just does not. There is a never-ending selection of various content and the services act as a search engine rather than traditional cable TV. The most popular companies have also created features geared toward parents and children, with family-friendly zones and educational videos.
"In order to use YouTube, kids should be 13, but the reality is that 8-year-olds are on YouTube all the time," Burke said. "How are you going to keep them on YouTube Kids when they've seen YouTube? You're not."
In other words, kids are hooked.
A KidSay's trend tracker, which surveyed 1,000 children, found that YouTube is the most-used smartphone app for boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 11. Pew Research Center found that 88 percent of American teens between the ages of 13 and 17 have access to a mobile phone, while 73 percent have a smartphone.
A Smarty Pants report found that TV viewing among children is down to 68 percent this year from 73 percent in 2014.
Experts say while adults may cut ties with television companies for the sake of money or principle, the tendency for children to use mobile devices is more instinctive. Experts say the shift is partially due to the ability for children to manipulate and control the content they are viewing on phones.