This is something serious and a matter of worry – British children are showing signs of becoming online addicts.
Figures from broadcasting watchdog Ofcom found under-5 children are glued to screens for more than four hours a day.
Pre-school children are online for an average of 71 minutes a day. Daily screen time for these kids rises to over four hours when video games and watching TV are included.
The report says British children are switching off TV and heading online now. Children are leading “increasingly digital lives” with smartphone and tablet ownership on the rise.
On average, schoolchildren between five and 15 years of age are online for about 15 hours each week – an hour and 18 minutes more than last year. TV time has taken a beating, with viewing times coming down to 13 hours and 36 minutes a week – a decrease of an hour and 14 minutes.
Less than a quarter of 1,362 parents asked said they were concerned about time spent in front of the TV, while 35% complained about internet use. “Parents are more concerned with managing the smartphone, tablet or, for boys in particular, the games console,” the report said.
