Common characteristics of the age group

Children today are growing up immersed in electronic media – from multi-channel TV, to DVDs/videos, to computers and electronic games. They have never known a world without remote controls, CDs, multi-channel TV, and the computer. They navigate with impressive confidence. 

Common characteristics

• Children consider television to be one of life’s staples. However their viewing is decreasing as other media vie for their attention. Latest research reveals that all 6-10 year olds and 97% of 11 -15 year olds play electronic games. ('State of Play' BBC Audience Research) 

Common characteristics

• Many family homes now have broadband and games consoles. Games consoles are the most popular choice for children when it comes to playing electronic games.

Common characteristics

• Today's children have more autonomy and decision-making power than before. 'Pester power' isn't restricted to toys anymore. Over half of the oldest children in every household are involved in choosing food, clothes and leisure activities. 

Most children live in two-parent families. A growing number (25%) now live in lone parent families and more than one in ten children live in a step family.    

• Most children are growing up in a two-parent household in Great Britain but nearly a quarter of children live in a lone parent household.

GENERAL FACTS

• Kids below the age of four are still heavily reliant on their parents for support  and they are still trying to get to grips with what is right, wrong and why.

Yet despite the differences, there are some common themes that run throughout childhood. 

• Independence. Children like to think that they are always right and always in charge especially when they get to make some of their own decisions (eg, the clothes they want to wear to school). But often the decisions they make are to help them fit in and imitate their friends or elders.  

• Bravery. At this age, children are trying to overcome many of their own fears, whether it’s monsters or the dark.  

• Mastery. Children like to be the kings of their own castles and believe that they have the magical powers to change the world.  

• Security and Belonging. Peers begin to have a big influence at this stage and it’s important not to be ‘different.’ Friends become more and more important and children often want to be the most accepted child on the block. 

The most important aspects of kids lives, media wise which include TV, Radio and Newspapers, has been :-

•  Tracy Beaker  • Ant & Dec   • Harry Potter   • Dick and Dom in da bungalow  • McFly  • Their own TV channels (Nickleodeon; Disney, Ceebies, CBBC,

Cartoon Network, Jetix) 

•X-Factor

•First newspaper

•High School Musical

But they are not old enough to remember :-

• A world without mobile phones  

• Spice Girls  

• The Gulf Wars 

• Life without the Internet  

• And for those at the younger end - the turn of the millennium and September 11th are things they’ve been told about but can’t recall

TV AND RADIO

• Children tend to listen to mainstream pop music stations (eg, Radio 1 or Capital FM). They rarely listen to speech-based radio stations like Radio 4. However, with the launch of BBC 7 (Big Toe, Little Toe) this is changing. 

TV and Radio

• Overall four in five children say they listen to the radio (79%) especially older children.

• Children watch TV as they get ready for school. Easy to watch programmes work best during the morning rush. Programmes that typically work are cartoons like The Scooby and Scrappy Show or Super Rupert.

• The TV is always on. The minute they get back from school the TV is switched on and stays on in the background, but it doesn’t become the

main focus until the evening. 

Children’s TV choices today are very broad. They live in a multi-channel world that offers them something to watch whatever the time of the day. Nearly half of their viewing in 2005 went to multi-channels. (47%) 

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NEW MEDIA

• It is not surprising to say that mobile phones are very popular.  Near enough two thirds of kids aged between 5-16 have their own personal mobile phone and teenagers between the ages of 11-16 the figure is higher with 9 out of 10 people having a mobile.

• However children are getting mobile phones at an earlier age. A third of children aged 7-8 now have a mobile phone. By age 9-10 years, three in five have a mobile phone

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NEW MEDIA

Kids can name a wide variety of websites but film and TV sites remain to be be most popular.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NEW MEDIA

• 90% of children ages 5-16 have access to a computer and the internet in their own houses.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NEW MEDIA

• CBBC remains the top favourite site overall (children aged 7-16) with Google coming in second place. CBBC is most popular amongst 9-10 year old girls.