Media Usage Study Kids 7 to 12
As we all know, kids’ media consumption is growing: In addition to traditional media (TV, radio, magazines) today’s kids are spending time online, Instant Messaging, gaming, etc.
However, there is a common misconception that if kids are spending more time on the Internet, it must be at the expense of their TV watching, when in fact time spent with the Internet is INCREMENTAL time.
According to Neilsen Media Research data
Time spent watching TV has remained constant over the past 15 years --
about 17 hours per week for kids two to 11.
The Internet has seen strong growth and has emerged as the number two medium with kids, while TV remains ubiquitous. The importance of the Internet grows as kids mature. However, it’s worth noting that studies and press about kids’ media usage could be talking about “youth” as old as 24 years of age. Clearly the media habits of eight- to 10-year-olds are very different from those of a teenager or university student.
To forestall any potential confusion about kids and their media habits, Corus Entertainment commissioned Solutions Research Group to look at the media usage of kids aged seven- to 12-years-old.
Did you know? 92% of kids (aged 7 to 12) watched TV yesterday; 55% of kids used the Internet.
TV is the dominant media source for information among kids 7 to 12.
For Kids 7 to 12, television has the clear advantage in advertising. TV ads are seen as the ‘most noticeable’, the ‘most entertaining’ and having the ‘most information’.
Source: SRG K7-12 Media Usage Study
See our presentation on Kids' Media Usage
If you would like more info on Kids’ Media Usage, please contact your YTV Account Manager or visit the Contact Us page.
Stephen Harper in 2006, delivering his 2006 election acceptance speech.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper may not have dropped the writ for an election yet, but his party is airing advertisements on both television and radio.



Because the election is not yet official — though it is scheduled for October 19, 2009 and could be held as soon as October of this year — the ads do not count against the Conservative Party's campaign spending limit. They have been airing since Thursday.

The advertisement includes various Canadians making statements about Harper, as opposed to the Conservative platform. One woman shown in a parking lot says that she likes "the idea that he's a family man with young children."

The Canadian Press notes that all four major party leaders are married and have children.

Other statements include "he's doing a good job," "I've never been so proud to be Canadian," "he's on the right track" and "I like him."

Political communication expert Jonathan Rose of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario told the Canadian Press: "By relying on typical Canadians in the ads, the Conservatives are hoping that the voter will find the connection powerful. Unfortunately, these kind of ads are based on assertions, not arguments. There is no evidence given to support the claims made in them."

A writer for ''The Montreal Gazette'' comments that, "at the end, it's hard to tell whether Stephen Harper is trying to smile or grimacing with the effort to convey warmth."

===Kids TV among media buy===

The Conservative Party ads are airing during children's programming, amongst other air times, presumed to be an attempt to reach parents.

''Gazette'' writer Elizabeth Thompson noted that her daughter had seen one of the ads during an airing of ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' on television station YTV. Thompson criticized the choice to air the ads in the time slot, after her daughter repeated the ad claims "matter-of-factly".

SpongeBob SquarePants was shown in a recent poll to be watched by 24 percent of parents with their child. About 41 percent of YTV's audience is above the age of majority, and 68 percent  of its reach composition, according to fall 2007 statistics by BBM Nielsen Media Research.