• by Wayne Friedman , May 18, 2012

Teenagers watch TV in less common areas of the home -- more so when it comes to their gaming consoles.

More than other groups, teenagers 12-17 get the highest score when it comes to watching TV in their bedrooms, for example -- at a 47% score, nearly equaling living-room/family-room TV watching, which is at 48%. They watch TV in “other” rooms 5% of the time.

When it comes to gaming, however, the move out of traditional areas is greater. Nielsen says more than half -- 52% -- of teenagers' time spent with a gaming console happens in nontraditional spaces or bedrooms -- or perhaps basements. That leaves 48% who use gaming activities in more common areas -- the living or family room.

Nielsen says 12-17s represent an outsized share of game console usage -- more than triple that of their share of TV or DVR usage.

The most traditional places for TV viewership among older viewers continue to be the living-room areas. Viewers 35-64 give living rooms a 62% number, and those 65 and older are at 69%. Those older groups take in TV 31% and 21% of the time in bedrooms, respectively.

Even those a bit older than the teenagers -- the 18-34 group -- are more traditionalists: 57% view TV in living rooms, 37% in bedrooms, and only 7% watch TV in “other” rooms.

Younger 6-11 viewers trend much like their older counterparts, with 60% of TV watching in living rooms; 35% in bedrooms; and 5% in “other.”