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Ofcom

Teens text almost four times more than the UK average – and 9% of 3-4 year olds use tablets

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

October 23, 2012 | 2 min read

Ofcom’s latest annual report on children’s media habits has found that teenage girls between the age of 12 and 15 years send an average of 221 texts every week; compared to the UK average of 50 texts.

The research also found that 12-15 year olds are spending as much time on the internet as they do watching TV for the first time: an estimated 17 hours a week on each activity.

Claudio Pollack, Ofcom’s consumer group director, said: “Ofcom’s latest research shows that children’s take-up and use of different media is growing at a rapid pace, with some areas such as texting and smartphone ownership fast outstripping the general population. However, children are not just using more media, they are also adopting some forms at a very young age. This highlights the challenge that some parents face in keeping up with their children when it comes to technology and in understanding what they can do to protect children.”

Two-fifths (39 per cent) of 12-15 year olds now say they would miss their mobile phone more than any other device, up from just over a quarter (28 per cent) in 2011; while 20 per cent say TV is what they would miss the most.

The research found that 14 per cent of all children aged 5-15 now use a tablet device at home, a threefold increase since 2011 (5 per cent), with 9 per cent of 3-4 year olds using a tablet at home, according to their parents.

Image via Shutterstock.

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