Children spend more hours online than in front of the television for the first time

That children abuse screens is a warning that doctors and experts have been doing for quite some time. Now, a new investigation calls attention to the subject: minors spend more time online than watching television for the first time in history.

For use time, rIt is alarming that the combination of time in front of television and internet has multiplied in more than two in recent years, with children spending more than five hours each day in front of the screens, according to this study prepared in the United Kingdom and which has been echoed by the British newspaper The Guardian.

Although the analysis has been done in the United Kingdom, shows a trend which surely is also observed in other similar countries, such as Spain, and is an interesting indicator of how entertainment is evolving in today's children.


Internet and television

The study, conducted by the research company CHildwise with a total of 2,000 children, it shows that children between five and 15 years of age in this country spendRes hours a day using the Internet, a figure to which thes 2.1 hours that sit in front of the television every day.

Regarding the use of the Internet, the study highlights the Youtube platform as the service most used by British children, since almost all respondents use it at least once when connecting to the Internet. In fact, The authors of the research emphasize that this portal is "the central scenario of children's lives".


Much is said about the dangers that certain websites have, and the truth is that on YouTube You can find videos of virtually all the themes and 'tones'. Therefore, it is vital to know what children see on this web page. According to the study, children go to YouTube mainly to watch music videos (in 58 percent of cases), an option that is followed closely by "fun content" (half of the respondents) and videos related to video games, vlogs (video blogs), television programs and tutorials.

Internet behavior

As highlighted from Portaltic, this research does not distinguish the different services used by the little ones when they connect, so it is not known if the use of children on the Internet is similar to that of television, but online (with platforms such as YouTube or Netflix) or if, for example, they also play or read online.


The study, in fact, focuses on how children integrate the internet into their lives and how the digital world is gaining ground on television. In this line, researchers have found that, rather than replacing the 'little swamp', Internet is adding more hours while children pass in front of the screens.

According to his data, the time in front of the television has not changed much in the last 15 years, when the children spent an average of 2.3 hours per day in front of the 'dumb box' (now they are 2.1 hours). Now, with much more Internet penetration, we observe how TV time has not changed while online consumption has increased 50 percent in just one year.

For the director of research of Childwise, Simon Leggett, the change in the behavior of the children with the screens supposes "a point of inflexion" that is caused mainly by the "blurring of television content " between the different devices and screens. According to this expert, "the viewing of television has been referenced."

In short, "children now choose content, they still find traditional television shows that catch them, but more and more they see them online on demand ", that is, at the time and at the time they want. We will have to see how these behaviors continue to evolve.

Angela R. Bonachera

Video: Real Girlfriend Vs. Online Girlfriend (The Jerry Springer Show)


Interesting Articles

Breastfeeding improves your bacterial flora

Breastfeeding improves your bacterial flora

The breast of the mother is the first food that the baby should take when it comes to this world. The breastmilk It has many benefits, both psychological (improvement of the bond with the child) and...

Trends to decorate your baby's room

Trends to decorate your baby's room

Drawings on the walls, cushions with shapes, poems on the ceiling ... turn the room of the little ones into a magical place that stimulates your imagination! It's the place where they sleep, they do...

Children's games for a family Christmas

Children's games for a family Christmas

Christmas parties are the ideal moment to propose childish games to live these holidays as a family. It is time to share good times, to surround ourselves with all our loved ones. We must take...