Gen X Prizes: Media Use by 8 to 18 Year-Olds is Diverse and Surprising [REPORT]

Tweens and teens spend significant time with media and technology every day — but that’s where the stereotypes stop. The Centennial generation consumes more media than they create. There are considerable differences in the way boys and girls engage with media; and all teens use a lot of social media but it is not their favorite media pastime. These are some of the surprising takeaways from the recent Common Sense Media Census of tweens and teens media use, which was presented yesterday in an exclusive webinar for members of the Association of National Advertiser’s (ANA) Alliance for Family Entertainment (AFE).

The new study quantifies screen use, identifies unique types of users, and uncovers patterns that could spark improvements in content, access, and learning. The presentation was hosted by AFE Chairman and Walmart CMO Stephen Quinn for the coalition’s members, who represent some of the biggest brands in the world. The insight was presented to marketers by Common Sense Media executive and child development expert Yalda T. Uhls, Ph.D., author of Media Moms and Digital Dads.

“The study offers a new perspective of how tweens and teens are using media,” Uhls said. “Some of the results support conventional wisdom about how and how much our children use media. Other findings should help marketers rethink assumptions about kids’ lives.”

Key findings from the presentation:

•     Teens (ages 13 to 18) use an average of 9 hours of entertainment per day; tweens (ages 8 to 12) use an average of 6 hours, not including time spent using media for school or homework.
•     On any given day, 34 percent of tweens and 23 percent of teens spend 2 hours or less with screen time, while 26 percent of teens and 11 percent of tweens spend more than 8 hours.
•     Teen boys average 56 minutes a day playing video games, compared to girls’ 7 minutes.
•     Girls spend 40 minutes more a day than boys on social media (1 hour 32 minutes versus 52 minutes).
•     Black teens average 8 hours 36 minutes a day with screen media, compared with 6 hours 29 minutes among Hispanic teenagers, and 6 hours 18 minutes among white teens.
•     Forty-five percent of all teens use social media every day but only 36 percent say they enjoy using social media “a lot,” compared with 73 percent who enjoy listening to music and 45 percent who enjoy watching TV “a lot.” Only 10 percent of teens chose social media as their favorite activity.

“As parents, we want to find ways to use media to support healthy development, learning, and community building,” added Uhls. “It’s encouraging to see marketers stepping up and educating themselves about what their tween and teen consumers need and want from their media options. We might conclude, for example, that given these findings the true reason for social media consumption is not a desire to share but a need to make connections in a complex and often-bewildering world.”

“These insights should result in significantly stronger brands with marketing and media plans that will deliver the 10 percent ROI goals that are established for each advertising member of the Alliance for Family Entertainment,” said Jim Bechtold, co-leader of the ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment.

“We cannot begin to craft responsible communications for American families if we don’t understand how they feel about technology and media and their usage patterns,” concluded Bob Liodice, ANA president and CEO. “With these ongoing webinars, AFE members are able to develop a detailed, 360-degree knowledge of parents and their kids and, even more importantly, keep pace with the constant change that characterizes our digital society.”

To download report CLICK HERE.