Generation M

Walt Crawford at Cites and Insights has pointed out the Kaiser Family Foundation report, Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8 - 18 Year-olds. The executive summary is full of juicy tidbits. For example, in a typical day, the percentage of the 2000 respondents who watched TV was 81%, and the percentage of respondents who listened to radio was 74%.
       Radio???
       What about reading? 47% read a magazine; 46% read a book (NOT for school); 34% read a newspaper.
       Newspaper??
       Particularly interesting is the report's Key Finding #8, "Today's youth are masters of multitasking." We are not to imagine that if they are watching TV or listening to music they are not ALSO reading or playing a game or using their computer. Compared to a similar study five years ago, young people are using media nearly the same number of hours per day (6:19), but because of multitasking the total amount of media consumed has increased by about an hour... Perhaps the "M" in the report's title should be construed as being for Multitasking rather than for Media.
       About reading, Key Finding #14 says, "Children continue to read regularly for pleasure... In a typical day, nearly three out of four (73%) young people report reading for pleasure. On average 8-to-18-year-olds spend about three-quarters of an hour a day reading (0:43)." 19% of respondents spend more than an hour a day reading print.
       The whole exective summary makes an entertaining 'read' or anyway browse. Charts, facts, and factors one might have thought to consider: does the household have TV rules? How many portable media devices in the household?