Nickelodeon Says New Generation Of Kids Are Big Media Consumers

Post-Millennial generation kids are big consumers of media, according to a new study by Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon says that media consumption among kids born since 2005 has grown over the past four year to about 35 hours per week, an increase of 2.2 hours since 2009.

Despite the many alternative devices available to kids today, TV usage is 12% higher than nine years ago. TV usage is up 12%. Computer and game consoles account for 27% of kids' daily media consumption. Tablets still represent a relatively small portion of media usage at 8%.

Gaming is the top activity on devices, with 96% of kids saying they use their computers for gaming, 88% saying they use their tablet for gaming and 86% say they do it on their smart phone.

Three-quarters of the kids says they watch short form video on tablets and smart phones. Half say they watch long-form content on these devices, up 23% from last year.

"We're in an important generational moment as the Millennials age up and these younger, post-millennial kids take their place," Ron Geraci, executive VP of research and planning for Nickelodeon, said in a statement. "As this transition occurs, it's important to identify the new generation's motivators and to understand how these kids engage with the world around them. At Nickelodeon, we are pairing our own original work with reliable third-party data to tell the comprehensive story of today's kids, particularly when it comes to their relationship to tech."

The study also found that key traits for this group include being extremely close to parents and wanting to be seen as smart and funny by peers.

Most kids surveyed said they were smarter than their peers, with 8 in 10 saying they were smarter than most other kids their age.

As always, humor is important to kids, with 74% of post-Millennials describing themselves as funny, and 50% ranking themselves between 10 and 11 on an 11-point scale in which 11 represents being "very funny."

The kids appeared self-assured, with 96% saying they believe they can accomplish anything they want to if they work hard enough, according to the study.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.