Half of Parents Say Kids Watch More TV in Summer
Many parents of those 17 or younger and living at home say their
children consume various types of media more, including watching
television and playing video games, during the summer months, according
to a Harris Poll/Adweek survey released today. Almost half of parents
say their children consume more television (49%) and video games (46%)
in the summer, with a quarter saying their children consume much more of
these types of media and entertainment during the summer (23% and 24%).
One in six or less say their children consume less of these types of
media in the summer (16% and 13%) while three in ten say the amount
consumed is neither more nor less in the summer than at other times of
the year (29% and 27%).
Increased television viewing was most prevalent in the South and West
regions of the US, where 58% and 52% of parents, respectively, said
their children were watching more television. 55% and 53% said video
game use was up.
In looking at Internet use and watching movies, the survey found
similar results — 44%-45% of parents say that their children do more of
these activities in the summer, compared to 13% and 14% who say they do
less.
In general, with school out of session, children have more hours to
consume media, but their habits may also be influenced by a few changes
in the household. Almost six in ten parents say they loosen the rules
during the summer, allowing their kids more freedom (57%) to consume
various types of media.
One quarter of parents say they do not loosen media consumption rules
in the summer (26%) and fewer say that they do not have any rules for
their children’s media consumption at all (17%).
While dads and moms are equally likely to loosen (56% vs. 57%) or not
loosen (27% vs. 25%) the rules for their children’s media consumption
in the summer, there are noticeable differences by region.
The findings are based on responses of 2,950 U.S. adults surveyed online between August 5 and 9, 2011, by Harris Interactive.
