• by Ross Fadner , October 6, 2003

Nearly two-thirds of children now have at least one form of video or PC technology in their bedrooms and those with more than one are likely to use them simultaneously, according to the latest findings from Knowledge Networks/SRI's "How Children Use Technology" report.

The study, which is part of KN/SRI's ongoing "How People Use" tracking studies, also finds that children with such bedroom media technologies as TVs, PCs, videogames and Web access are more responsive to advertising and have less parental supervision than those that do not.

Nearly two-thirds (61%) children aged 8-17 have televisions in their bedrooms, while 35% have a video game console and 14% a DVD player. Nine percent of children have 9% Internet access via a PC in their bedroom.

Among Kids Who Have 'Own-Room' Media

                                TV/PC In-Room   No TV/PC In-Room 
Parental Rules For TV Usage*:             50%
61% 
Parental Rules For Web Access**:          61%                69% 

Source: Knowledge Networks/SRI. *TV in their room. **Web access in their room.

The findings are important, because the media habits of kids who have access to such media technology in their rooms differed substantially from those who do not.

Among children with an own-room television, 75% report multitasking while watching TV compared with 65% of those without their own sets. Only half (50%) of such kids say they have parental rules regarding the use of television versus 61% of those without TVs in their rooms.

Among children with Internet access in their rooms, 57% say all of their Internet use takes place in their rooms. Of them, 61% report parental rules restricting Internet usage versus 69% of those who don't have their own Web access.

David Tice, Vice President of Client Service at Knowledge Networks, and director of "The Home Technology Monitor" believes that, "Kids with own-room media access represent an important sub group of media users. Their behavior is more self-directed, in terms of linking media with each other and other activities, and they have less parental supervision."

While use of TV's, VCRs and DVDs in kids' rooms increased steadily over a similar report from 2001, use of the Internet declined slightly from 10% in 2001 to 9% in 2003. Says Tice, "Increasingly, parents are wanting to keep watch over their kids Internet usage. I do think that, slowly, we will see more kids with Internet connections in their rooms; that will go up as Internet household use-particularly broadband use-increases."