Kids put TV before music and mobiles

Kiwi kids are TV kids, a media and market research survey released yesterday shows.

One in three New Zealand children aged between 6 and 17 say they could not live without their television. 

About one in five have the same feeling about music or mobile phones.

One in seven considered the internet to be the most essential medium.

The results are from a survey carried out by Nielsen-NetRatings as part of a report into behaviour and attitudes of children and teenagers towards the internet and technology.

The study has been carried out bi-annually in Australia since 1999, while the first New Zealand version will set a benchmark from which future trends can be tracked.

Internet usage is high in terms of access to a terminal and the amount of time kids spend on-line.

* Two-thirds of households with children under 17 at home have internet access. Others use it at school or at friends' or relatives' houses.

* Thirty per cent of 6 to 8-year-olds and 74 per cent of 9 to 17-year-olds have used the net for longer than two years, meaning many are starting as young as 4.

* Half go online every day with more than three in four logging on at least weekly.

* On average, children are spending 4.7 hours online a week. Among those aged 15 to 17 this jumps to eight hours.

* Younger children are more adept users, with children aged 15 to 17 making up the bulk of the "inexperienced" segment.

Parents need not fear it is all mind-numbing usage. Apart from using email (70 per cent) and instant messaging (42 per cent), children cite homework as the most common reason for going online.

Playing games figures prominently along with "other things for school" and music.

- NZPA