The Generation Z Report: Technology in the Lives of Australia s Under 18s.

Transcription

1 The Generation Z Report: Technology in the Lives of Australia s Under 18s. Background: McCrindle Research was commissioned to conduct a national survey of Australians to find out about their entertainment media consumption habits and uses. There were 411 respondents, and the research identified the most popular entertainment mediums and how these were used, particularly among the under 18s. Households with Under 18s are Early Technological Adopters 3 in 4 households with under 18s have mp3 players (72.1%) and more than half (58.1%) have wireless internet in their home. More than one third (34.9%) have Pay TV. Only 3% of households with children aged under 18 do not have any of the new generation of technologies such as Pay TV, wireless internet, mp3 players, digital radio and blue ray DVDs. New Generation Technologies in the Home: New generation technologies Australians have in their home: Pay TV 34.9% Digital radio 11.0% Blue-ray DVD 13.4% Wireless internet 58.1% ipod / mp3 player 72.1% itouch / iphone 24.4% None of the above 2.9% Australians have always been amongst the earliest adoptors of new technology and this characteristic continues. ipods and other mp3 players have found a place in over two thirds of Australian homes with under 18s (72.1%), and the iphone/ itouch is now in almost 1 in 4 Australian households with under 18s (24.4%). Digital radio, the newest technological format of entertainment has already found a place in more than 1 in 10 households (11%). Wireless internet has also become popular with 58.9% of respondents using this at home, allowing the internet to easily be accessed from multiple entertainment devices concurrently around the home. Pay TV no doubt adds to the almost 3 hour TV viewing average of Australians, with 35.7% of respondents having Pay TV in their home. 1

2 Bedrooms are Filled with Technological Entertainment More than a quarter of under 18s (25.6%) have computers in their bedroom, and the majority of these are internet connected. More than a quarter (26.8) have video in their rooms and almost a third (31%) have DVD players, and 41% have TVs in their rooms. Less than 1 in 20 (5.4%) have no electronic entertainment devices in their bedroom. Technological Entertainment is 24/7 for today s teens TV viewing and the use of the internet are the most utilised in home technologies. While 41.3% of young people watch TV before school / work (9am), the most common time is after school (3-6pm) where 70% of under 18s are watching TV. After school between 3-6pm is also the most common time for under 18s to be using the internet (71.8%) and playing video s (68.3%). The surprise was the proportion of young people who were using technology late at night. 60.6% of under 18s regularly watch TV until 10pm, and 50% regularly access the internet until 10pm. Additionally 9.4% watch TV after 10pm and 12.2% continue to use the internet after 10pm. Households with under 18s are twice as likely to have extra programs and security settings installed on computers and devices which access the internet (25%), compared to households without under 18s (13.5%). However the three quarters (75%) of households with under 18s have no specific or additional security filters on these devices. Australians are Massive Multitaskers The majority of Australians use multiple technologies while using the internet at home. The most common activity combined with internet use is watching TV (62.2%) followed by speaking on the phone (49.8%). Significant numbers of Australians are also listening to music (39.5%) and texting (28.5%) while online. Thinking about when you re normally using the internet at home, are you doing any of the following at the same time? Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Watching TV 62.2% 181 Texting 28.5% 83 Listening to music (not radio) 39.5% 115 Playing video s 5.5% 16 Speaking on the phone 49.8% 145 Reading 10.7% 31 Listening to the Radio 20.6% 60 None of the above 4.1% 12 2

3 Mixed Practices when it comes to Rules and Restrictions A slim majority of Australian families (52.4%) with under 18s have rules regarding how much time their children spend watching TV or accessing the internet. However just 41.3% enforce family rules which limit TV and internet use. Less than half of families (46.9%) have curfews and time restrictions when it comes to watching TV or accessing the internet. 55.9% have and enforce rules regarding the types of TV or online sites viewed by the under 18s. More than one third of families (38.8%) have no restrictions regarding the ratings of TV shows, video s or DVDs that the under 18s watch. Too much Technology Time 82% of Australians think that young people today spend too much time using technology. However it s not just the young people who are spending a lot of time using technology. The average Australian teenagers packs in more than 7 hours and 6 minutes a day using entertainment media, largely through the phenomenon of multitasking, the number of actual hours per day is less, adding up to almost 50 hours per week. For the average Australian teenager, the most frequently used entertainment media is the internet, with teenagers spending over 2 hours a day using it. Phones also use a significant part of their day, with Australian teenagers spending over an hour and a half either talking or texting on the phone each day. The average Australian has not quite let go of traditional entertainment pursuits such as reading newspapers and magazines. While the time allocated to these activities is far less than that devoted to entertainment technologies, the average Australian still averages 15.4 minutes reading magazines and 11.8 minutes reading magazines. Time spent each day (teenagers) Radio TV Video s (e.g. Xbox, Wii) DVD Talking on a phone Texting on a mobile phone Internet Portable Average (minutes / day) Australians are spending more on the access charges for technology than ever before (this includes mobile phone use, internet use, song and movie downloads and technology subscriptions). While the average adult spends $ / year, this is eclipsed by the average Australian teenager who spends $1380 / year. This means that your average household with 2 adults and 2 teenagers spends $5071 accessing technology per annum. 3

4 Surfing & Social Networking While general searching / surfing continues to be the dominant activity online (57mins), social networking (24mins) has now replaced ing (21mins) as the second most dominant online activity. How are you spending your time on the internet? Playing online s Searching /surfing sites Instant messaging ing friends Listening to music /watching videos online Social networking sites / blogging Mins / day (Average Australian) Mins / day (Average Australian teenager) This research shows a clear distinction between teenagers and adults when it comes to their online activities. While your average Australian spends more time browsing websites and searching the internet, often for information, (57 mins/day), teenagers are less likely to use the internet for this purpose (32.8 mins / day). For teenagers, the online environment creates a place of entertainment and connection. Teenagers spend far more time playing online s (39.9 mins/day) compared to the average Australian (12.4 mins/day) and social networking / blogging (41.6 mins /day) compared to the average Australian of 28.9 minutes / day. Many Australians segment their entertainment pursuits and are more likely to listen to music through traditional technologies and watch videos on DVD, rather than online. However teenagers are more likely to do these activities online. When it comes to listening to music or watching videos online, the average Australian spends 12.5 minutes /day online, where as for teenagers, it is more than twice this at 27.9 minutes / day. Even when it comes to connecting with friends online, we see a difference in mediums used. The average Australian spends more time ing (21.6 mins/day) compared to teenagers (10.1 mins/ day), however teenagers spend longer instant messaging (26.2 mins/ day) compared to the average Australians 12.7 minutes / day. Technology Ubiquity How many devices in your home? TV DVD player Computer Video Radio CD player Portable 4 itouch / iphone Average An effective penetration rate of 100% has now been achieved in Australian households, not only for TV and radio but also DVD players and computers. Households with under 18s are also most likely to have mp3 players, video and portable. ipod / mp3

5 The most commonly owned entertainment media device is the television, with Australian households having an average of 2.64 televisions per household. Whilst the time spent using the radio each day is significantly less than the TV, Australian households still own 2.1 radios on average. Mark McCrindle Social Researcher McCrindle Research 3 rd March