U.S. Media Consumption

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Facts & Figures

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2009 U.S. Media Consumption Statistics

According to a study published in January 2010 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, From 1999 to 2009, the average amount of time children ages 8-18 spent on a computer per day tripled, from 27 minutes a day to nearly and hour and a half.

Most 11-14 year olds spent an average 11.5 hours each day exposed to various forms of media.

In 2009, 99% of all 8 to 18-year-olds studied lived in homes with at least one television.

In 2009, 76% of all 8 to 18-year-olds owned an IPOD or an MP3 Player

From 2004 to 2009 there was a dramatic increase in cell phone ownerstip among 8 to 18-year-olds, from 39% in 2004 to 66% in 2009.

In 2009 young adults spent more time listening to music, playing games and watching television on their cell phones than they did actually talking on them.

Of all types of media (teleivion, video games, etc.) from 2004 to 2009 television remained the most widely consumed, at an average of around 4.5 hours per day (compared to music at around 2.5 hours per day, computers at around 1.5 hours, video games at around 1.13 hours, and print media at an average of just under 40 minutes per day).

Internet Usage

Among all 8 to 18-year-olds studied, 84% had home internet access, with 33% claiming to have internet access in their bedrooms.

This compared to the same statistics in 1999, which showed only 47% with home internet access, and of those only 33% had access in their bedrooms. These numbers continue to increase.

In 2009 some 74% of 7th through through 12th graders surveyed reported having a profile on a social networking site.

Texting

7th through 12th graders spend an average of 1.35 hours per day sending or recieving text messages.

According to the Pew Research Center's Internet % American Life Project, in 2010, 51% of adults sent 1 to 10 text messages a day, while 29% of teens sent over 100 in any given day. The chart below shows a more detailed comparison:

For More Information:

Daily Media Use Among Chikdren and Teens Up Dramatically from Five Years Ago. (January 20, 2010). Kaiser Family Foundation.

Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8 to 18-year-olds. (January 2010). Kaiser Family Foundation.

Center for Youth Studies