Children are spending more time than ever before online
Yesterday, we read a report that states for the first time ever, children are spending more time online than they are watching television.
New research from Childwise into the media habits of under-16s found that on average five- to 15-year-olds are spending three hours a day using the internet, compared to 2.1 hours watching television. Three hours. Wow, that’s a lot – but surely it’s also inevitable? After all, the online world is so connected to everything that we - adults and children - do in 2016. Most children are already using computers or tablets before they attend primary school and many others are required to research homework projects online, so it’s no real surprise that time spent on the internet has surpassed that of time spent watching television. The increase though is huge – time online is up a whopping 50% from just last year.
The research was based on an online survey of more than 2,000 children and reports that YouTube has taken “centre stage in children’s lives” with half accessing it every day and almost all using it at least occasionally.
Apparently the majority of children who use YouTube visit the site to access music videos (58%), while around half watch “funny content” and a third say they watch gaming content, vlogs, television programmes or “how to” videos.
So what does this shift in behaviour mean for children’s safety online? Could it be that the more time young people are spending online, the more likely they are to come across the darker side of the internet? Perhaps. And that’s why it’s so important for young people to understand what they should and should not be sharing online. That’s where ‘Virtually Me’ comes in.
‘Virtually Me - Your manifesto for online life’ is an activity book aimed at 10-14 years olds that encourages them to confront both the good and bad of the internet and to write their own personal guide to getting the best out of it safely.
With cases of cyber bullying on the increase, it’s vital that young people think about what they would do if they or one of their friends became affected or involved. The book adopts a unique approach that we think young people appreciate it; it doesn’t give answers, instead it encourages them to reach their own conclusions.
Following this report’s findings, author of ‘Virtually Me’, Emma Clarke, said via Twitter:
New research from Childwise into the media habits of under-16s found that on average five- to 15-year-olds are spending three hours a day using the internet, compared to 2.1 hours watching television. Three hours. Wow, that’s a lot – but surely it’s also inevitable? After all, the online world is so connected to everything that we - adults and children - do in 2016. Most children are already using computers or tablets before they attend primary school and many others are required to research homework projects online, so it’s no real surprise that time spent on the internet has surpassed that of time spent watching television. The increase though is huge – time online is up a whopping 50% from just last year.
The research was based on an online survey of more than 2,000 children and reports that YouTube has taken “centre stage in children’s lives” with half accessing it every day and almost all using it at least occasionally.
Apparently the majority of children who use YouTube visit the site to access music videos (58%), while around half watch “funny content” and a third say they watch gaming content, vlogs, television programmes or “how to” videos.
So what does this shift in behaviour mean for children’s safety online? Could it be that the more time young people are spending online, the more likely they are to come across the darker side of the internet? Perhaps. And that’s why it’s so important for young people to understand what they should and should not be sharing online. That’s where ‘Virtually Me’ comes in.
‘Virtually Me - Your manifesto for online life’ is an activity book aimed at 10-14 years olds that encourages them to confront both the good and bad of the internet and to write their own personal guide to getting the best out of it safely.
With cases of cyber bullying on the increase, it’s vital that young people think about what they would do if they or one of their friends became affected or involved. The book adopts a unique approach that we think young people appreciate it; it doesn’t give answers, instead it encourages them to reach their own conclusions.
Following this report’s findings, author of ‘Virtually Me’, Emma Clarke, said via Twitter:
Kids need help and guidance - they can’t safely navigate the digital world on their own. #VirtuallyMe https://t.co/govWKU0uui
— Emma Clarke (@emmabclarke) January 26, 2016She went on to say...
If you give a kid a smartphone without guidance it’s like giving them keys to a sweet shop. I mean, what do you think is gonna happen??
— Emma Clarke (@emmabclarke) January 26, 2016‘Virtually Me’ aims to start conversations between young people and their parents or guardians. With young people spending more time online than ever before, isn’t it time to equip them with the resources they need to stay safe?
Buy Virtually Me now
Buy Virtually Me now