Ofcom: Kids strong take-up and engagement with media platforms

Ofcom has released its interim children’s media literacy report showing that households with kids aged between 5 to 15 have high levels of take-up of all the main media platforms.

While this may not come as a surprise, the regulator’s new study also reveals that children are starting to engage with media platforms at a much younger age.

There has been an increase in the number of 5 to 7 year olds using the internet at home, with 3% of them even having access to the web in their bedroom.  One in six children aged 8 to 11 also have internet access in their rooms, as well as one-third of 12 to 15 year olds.

The older age group are more likely to engage in other online activities as a result of having easy access to the web.  Two-thirds of 12 to 15s say they have set up a social networking profile (compared to 52% in 2008), while one-quarter enjoy watching television and film content via UK television broadcaster’s websites.

Three-quarters of 12-15s also have a games console in their bedroom with 15% saying they mostly play with other people over the internet.

A full year report will be published in early 2010, amalgamating these results from Spring 2009 with data from Autumn 2009.