Young People's Web/TV Habits

Ewan McIntosh shares some really interesting research into young people's web/tv habits. If you teach or have kids or grandkids, these findings probably confirm what you've been observing. The question I've been trying to answer is how does or should this sort of data impact teaching and learning - specifically what we do in the classroom?

Andy Pipes at Channel 4 has published some of the results of in-depth research carried out for the Channel into how young people relate to the web, gaming, the telly and each other. It's got some insights that would dispel some of the myth mongering that will take place in this summer's education conference circuit. Prepare your bullshit bingo cards now...

• 'They personally own 8 devices (including MP3 player, PC, TV, DVD player, mobile phone, stereo, games console, and digital camera)
  
• They frequently conduct over 5 activities whilst watching TV
  
• 25% of them agree that ‘I’d rather stay at home than go on a holiday with no internet or phone access’
  
• A quarter of young people interviewed text or IM (instant message) friends they are physically with at the time
  
• They have on average 123 friends on their social network spaces
  
• And the first thing the majority of them do when they get home is turn on their PC

'Yet despite living such a ‘connected’ life, kids these days still find technology a means to an end - primarily meeting up with their friends, watching television and listening to music. Above all, youth’s obsession with technology is around communication. The average person surveyed was doing 5 simultaneous actions whilst they watched television these days; and the majority of those actions involved communicating at some level. One young teenage girl admitted ‘I talk to my friend and MSN (instant message) her at the same time.’ In fact, a full 34% of those asked said that they texted friends they were with at the time...'

'The TV is still young people’s most popular way to consume media, though in terms of time spent, TV time is pipped to the post by spending time on the internet.'