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Technology keeps UK kids away from family life

From The Age
London - August 13, 2004 - 12:00AM

British children are interacting less and less with their families and spending more time in their bedrooms watching television or playing computer games, according to a study published today.

Three-quarters of Britain's 11-14 year-olds have a television in their bedroom, almost two-thirds a DVD player or video recorder, and a quarter have a computer in their room, market research firm MINTEL said.

Two-thirds of those surveyed said they played computer games in their rooms, and one in three said they only ever played the games alone.

"Many of today's children now seem to be experiencing greater isolation from family life," MINTEL consumer analyst Jenny Catlin said.

"Sadly, it does seem that in many cases modern technology has now replaced the family unit, so that everyone does whatever they want, when they want, even if it means doing it on their own."

More than half of the children surveyed said they liked spending time on their own and could do what they liked as long as they did well at school.

The survey also revealed that some 80 percent of 11-14 year olds have their own mobile phone - a sharp increase from the 58 percent recorded in 2001 - and that parents usually foot the bill. More than half of the 11-14 year olds said their parents paid for all their calls.

The researchers said texting was the main use of mobile phones, with almost two in five of those surveyed having sent more than 10 texts in the previous week.
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posted by Netwoman @ 9:01 PM