Young Canadians watching TV but they’re mostly tuning into the same shows: report

Watching television is a daily pastime for 75% of children from grades 3 to 10, and they’re mostly tuning into the same shows, according to a report released this month that surveys kids’ views on and use of media. The report conducted by ERIN Research on behalf of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) and the Media Awareness Network (MNet), entitled Kids’ Take on Media, also reveals that children often watch programming that they don’t like (news) and have unfettered access to shows not targeted at them (restricted programming). More than 500 titles of TV shows were named when the school-aged respondents were asked which TV programs they preferred and why, but only a few of them account for a large proportion of their favourite TV shows. Some 39% of all respondents listed The Simpsons and 17% listed Friends as one of their top three programs. About 17 television programs account for 50% of the choices given, indicating the "impact that a relatively small number of programs will have on the culture of the day…," reads the report. It also points out that the data illustrates that "there is an orderliness to the popularity of TV programs; one program is very popular, another is slightly less popular, and many others are successively less popular. …It suggests that kids’ entertainment choices form a very specific hierarchy," the report states. In general, boys favour animated programs, comedy and sports, and the top choices of girls revolve around realistic situations and often focus on social relationships. Media in the home: Electronic devices that kids haveItemPersonal useIn home, not personal useNot in the homeRadio78%20%2%Nintendo/Play Station53%26%21%TV48%51%1%GameBoy47%15%39%Regular phone42%55%3%Walkie-talkie36%20%44%VCR35%62%4%Computer with Internet26%58%16%DVD player19%46%35%Cell phone16%62%22%Computer with no Internet14%21%64%Palm pilot, Blackberry, etc.11%19%71%Pager5%27%68%Top three favorite TV programs chosenGRADES 3 - 6; ENGLISHGirls’ choices % of choicesBoys’ choices% of choicesThe Simpsons25The Simpsons46Lizzie McGuire23Yu-Gi-Oh!27The Amanda Show18Sports17Friends16Spongebob Squarepants10All That10Dragonball Z9GRADES 7 - 10; ENGLISHGirls’ choices % of choicesBoys’ choices% of choicesFriends42The Simpsons63The Simpsons31Sports17That ’70s Show17Friends16American Idol14That ’70s Show15Gilmore Girls12Family Guy13 CTF president Terry Price says the fact that The Simpsons is cited as a preferred show by children of all ages may be an indication of a lack of appropriate and diverse TV programming for them. "I guess you could read a lot into that. I think it says that there isn’t a lot of depth in the choices that they have," she tells Canadian Communications Reports. "And certainly the fact that something like The Simpsons is appealing to all age groups, I think, says that there is a lack of appropriate programming for the eight- to 11-years-olds. If they’re watching programs that the 15-year-olds are saying aren’t even suitable for the younger kids, it would suggest there may not be much depth in the programming that is appropriate to seven- to 11-years-olds." Price also notes the heavy influence of American programming on young children living outside Quebec, and suggests that it may be an area to explore further. "The American influence was quite distinctive between the Francophones outside Quebec and those within Quebec. The students within Quebec watched far more Quebec-made programming than the Francophones, and presumably the Anglophones outside of Quebec," she says. "Outside Quebec, there is a very definitive American influence in the media." The report also notes that even though respondents identify the news as one of their most disliked programs, children of all ages watch it. The proportion watching news "almost every day" is relatively steady across grades, varying between 20% and 24%. The proportion of kids who never watch the news decreases with age, from 28% in grade 3 to 13% in grade 10. A large majority of children agree that news makes them better informed, including 69% of those who don’t watch very often, and 89% of the more frequent news viewers. The report also reveals that by grade 6, half of all kids surveyed have seen an unsuitable movie, video or DVD. While some industry experts decry the demise of the radio among young listeners with the advent of music downloading, this survey notes that the radio is top on a list of 13 electronic devices at the personal disposal of children. "The radio is the leading item by a fairly wide margin. However, nearly half of all Canadian children (48%) now have a TV for their own personal use" - 43% in grades 3 to 6 and 53% in grades 7 to 10, the report notes. As well, 19% of students in grades 3 to 6 and 32% of students in grades 7 to 10 have a computer with an Internet connection for their own personal use (see table on previous page for a breakdown of the availability of the devices). But Price warns that just because the radio is available doesn’t mean that it is used more - an area not addressed by the survey. "Having worked with a ton of young people over the years, you don’t see them listening to the radio a lot," she states. "I wonder about the usage and we didn’t go into that in the study. I mean, it could be their radio that wakes them up in the morning and that’s the end of it." The total number of devices available to children stays relatively constant across grades - about 8.5 on average for girls and 9.1 for boys - but the proportion of these items considered for personal use, rather than communal family property, increases with age. Most of the items change only slightly in availability over age, except for Internet access and cell phones, which are used more by older children. The study revealed that by grade 10 about a third reported having their own computer hooked to the Web and one-quarter had their own cell phones. The research is based on a poll of 5,756 students in grades three to 10 in every province and territory. Margins of error for percentage results for the full sample are plus/minus 1.3%, 19 times out of 20. The survey was initiated to raise public awareness about the use of media by Canadian children.

Young Canadians watching TV but they’re mostly tuning into the same shows: report

Broadcast | November 28, 2003

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