Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report

The number of United Kingdom (UK) children who own a mobile phone is going down, as youngsters reject basic handsets and increasingly turn to tablet computers to access the internet. This is one of the findings shared in a report of communication trends published by Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications, wireless communications, and postal services. The report provides evidence on media use, attitudes, and understanding among children and young people in the UK, aged 5-15. It also provides detailed information about access to and use of media among children aged 3-4. Finally, it includes findings relating to parents' views about their children's media use and the ways that parents seek - or not - to monitor or limit such use.

Summary findings:

• For the first time since the survey began in 2005, the overall number of children aged 5-15 owning a mobile phone has fallen - from 49% last year to 43% in 2013. This was mainly because the proportion of younger children (8-11) who own a basic mobile phone - as opposed to a smartphone - fell steeply to 15%, from 28% in 2012. Among this age group, 18% now own a smartphone, and the same proportion owns a tablet computer. While the smartphone figure is largely stable year-to-year, tablet ownership has grown four-fold among 8-11s since 2012 (from 4%).
• Younger and older children have different priorities when it comes to connected devices. Among older children (12-15), smartphones remain more widely used than tablets. Around 3 in 5 (62%) own a smartphone - unchanged since 2012 - but 26% now own a tablet computer, up from 7% in 2012.
• Tablet computers are growing fast in popularity. The use of tablets has tripled among 5-15s since 2012 (42%, up from 14%), and one-quarter (28%) of infants aged 3-4 now use a tablet computer at home. Similarly, tablet usage is rising rapidly among 5-7 year olds (39%, from 11% in 2012) and 8-11 year olds (44%, from 13%). These devices are becoming more popular among these youngest internet users, who are 5 times more likely than last year to mostly use a tablet when accessing the internet at home (19%, from 4%).
• More traditional devices are being used less to go online, with the proportion of children mainly using a laptop, netbook, or desktop computer falling to 68% - down from 85% in 2012. Twice as many children as in 2012 are mainly using other devices to go online, with tablets (13%) and mobiles (11%) the most popular choices.
• Children's preference for internet-enabled devices reflects changes in how younger people are going online. While the usability of tablets appears to meet younger children's entertainment needs, particularly for watching audio-visual content and playing games (e.g., games are the most commonly mentioned online activity carried out at least weekly by the majority (58%) of 3-4s), older children mainly use smartphones to communicate. Children with smartphones send an estimated 184 instant messages (IM) in a typical week. Traditional text messaging (SMS) remains a highly popular way of communicating, especially amongst those aged 12-15. These teenagers send on average 255 text messages per week, up from 193 in 2012.
• Around one in five 8-11s (17%) now say they mostly use the internet in their bedroom, up from 12% in 2012. Conversely, the proportion with a TV in the bedroom has fallen to 52% (from 59% last year), while those aged 5-15 are also less likely to have a games console in their bedroom (47%, down from 56%). This reflects a decline in the use of fixed and handheld gaming devices and a threefold annual increase in the proportion of 5-15s using tablet computers to play games (23%, up from 7%).
• Despite the decline in bedroom sets, TV programming remains very important to children. Television itself continues to be the medium that children aged 5-15 say they would miss most among all the activities they regularly undertake. But compared to 2012, children are more likely to watch programmes on devices other than a TV, such as a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. Nearly half (45%) of children aged 5-15 are doing so, up from 34% last year.
• Compared to 2012, 12-15s are much less likely to say they have a social media profile on any device (68%, down from 81%).
• The mix of social media used by children is evolving. While nearly all 12-15s with an active online profile continue to use Facebook (97%), they are now less likely to have a profile on Bebo (4%, down from 8% last year) and more likely to have a profile on Twitter (37%, from 25%).
• On the wider internet, schoolwork is the most mentioned internet activity carried out at least weekly by 8-11s (75%), followed by games (54%) and finding information (45%). These children are much more likely than in 2012 to use the internet weekly for telephone or video calls (10%, up from 5%) or for going to photo-sharing websites (5%, from 2%).
• Girls are more at risk of having negative experiences online. Almost one in ten 12-15s (8%) and 4% of 8-11s say they have experienced online bullying in the past year. Close to half of all 12-15s know someone with experience of negative online/mobile phone activity such as online bullying, gossip being spread, or embarrassing photos being shared. Ninety-five percent of parents of 12-15-year-old girls have talked to them about staying safe online.
• The majority of parents say they know enough to keep their child safe online, but 47% continue to feel that their child knows more about the internet than they do. This figure is largely stable year by year, but varies by the child's age. Almost two-thirds (63%) of parents of 12-15 year olds - and 14% of parents of infants aged 3-4 - say they know less about the internet than their child. "This may reflect the fast pace of technological change and the ease with which younger children in particular can embrace and explore new mobile technology and apps, and suggests that parents need continuing support to build their own skills and confidence."
• Parents of 5-15s monitor their child's internet use in different ways. These include ever talking to their children about staying safe online (79%), having rules about parental supervision (53%), or using some kind of technology (62%). More than 4 in 10 (43%) of parents of 5-15s who use a home personal computer (PC), laptop, or netbook to go online say they have some kind of parental controls in place. Although 18% of internet users aged 12-15 say they know how to change online filters or controls, considerably fewer (6%) say they have done so in the past year. One in four parents (24%) of 5-15 year old internet users is concerned about cyberbullying, while 1 in 7 (14%) said they were concerned about their child cyberbullying somebody else.

"New technology brings new opportunities and risks, and children may need help to assess potential risks and unintended consequences of their media use, and to make informed decisions about online activities and services."