What is the "Original Experience" of Media Use for the "True Smartphone Native Generation"?

The "Information Media White Paper 2024" (edited by Dentsu Inc. Media Innovation Lab/DENTSU SOKEN INC., published by Diamond Inc.) was released on March 1. This data book, which reveals the full picture of the information media industry, marks its 31st year of publication.

The lead feature, "The Rapidly Changing Media Environment and Consumers," explains trends in the information media market and people's behaviors across the following four articles:

1. Media Usage Behavior: Swing Back and Stabilization Before and After the Pandemic - Polarization Advances
2. Media Usage Among Infants, Toddlers, and Elementary School Children
3. The Impact of Generative AI on the Creative Industries
4. The Current State and Future Potential of Audio Media Revitalized by Digital Services

This series introduces parts of the cover story content. This installment focuses on the latest trends in children's media use, based on "Media Usage Behaviors of Infants, Toddlers, and Elementary School Children."

<Table of Contents>

▼First Survey in 5 Years on Media Use Among Children Aged 0-12. How Has the "True Smartphone Native Generation" Changed?

▼The Most Familiar Digital Device for Children is "Television"

▼Changing Smartphone Usage Needs as Children Grow

▼"Television Programs (Live Viewing)" and "YouTube/YouTube Kids" Dominate! Children's Video Media Usage Trends

▼Early Childhood Media Experiences That Define a Generation

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Media Usage Survey of Children Aged 0-12 Conducted for the First Time in 5 Years. How Has the "True Smartphone Native Generation" Changed?

Looking back over the past 20 years, the media environment has undergone dramatic changes. Against the backdrop of evolving digital technology and the internet, various media services emerged, and the diversification of information devices progressed. Particularly since the iPhone's launch in Japan in 2008, smartphones (hereafter "smartphones") alongside Android devices have become widespread as personal information terminals across a broad age range. Amidst these changes, consumers' methods of obtaining information, as well as how they enjoy entertainment and communication, have significantly transformed.

Today's children are the "true smartphone native generation," born into a world where smartphones already existed, placing them at the forefront of the latest media environment. How do these children engage with media?

In autumn 2023, Dentsu Media Innovation Lab, in collaboration with Professor Yoshiaki Hashimoto (Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo / Professor, Tokyo Woman's Christian University), conducted quantitative surveys and group interviews targeting mothers of children aged 0 to 12 (elementary school students). While a similar survey was conducted with Professor Hashimoto in 2018 ( ), subsequent changes in lifestyle due to the pandemic and the further proliferation of online video services have occurred. Here, we focus on examining children's engagement with digital devices and video media.

The most familiar digital device for children is the "television"

Figure 1 shows the usage rates of TV, smartphones, tablets, computers, and home video game consoles by age group (including shared family devices or devices dedicated to the child). Here, simply watching the screen without actively operating it is also counted as "usage."

Television was the most frequently used device among children. Against the backdrop of a high television ownership rate (95.8%) among surveyed households, 80% to 90% of children aged 3 and older used television.

When asked what they watch on TV in the same survey, "TV programs" were again the most frequently cited. However, viewing methods varied, including live viewing, recorded playback, and catch-up streaming. Following TV programs, "YouTube/YouTube Kids" was also frequently mentioned.

In group interviews, we heard positive opinions about the experience of watching online videos on connected TVs (CTVs, i.e., TVs connected to the internet). One comment was, "With a TV screen, I can see what kind of YouTuber videos my child is watching, which is reassuring."

Limiting the focus to elementary school students, the next most common device after TV is home video game consoles (regardless of whether they are stationary or portable), with usage rates exceeding 50% for those aged 7 and above. While games can also be played on smartphones and tablets, dedicated game consoles remain highly popular.

Across all age groups, tablet usage rates exceed those of PCs. A notable feature of tablet use is elementary school students' usage of devices outside the home (items not shown in Figure 1). The usage rate for tablets dedicated to children in grades 1-6 or shared by the family was 42.1%, while the usage rate for tablets used outside the home was 20.8%. The overlap between the two was only 5.3% of the total, which is not very significant.

Most tablets used outside the home are loaned by schools or cram schools and are often used for learning or checking school communications. Digitalization in educational settings appears to be expanding children's opportunities to interact with digital devices outside the home.

Changing Smartphone Needs as Children Grow

As introduced at the beginning, today's children are considered the "true smartphone native generation." Let's examine smartphone usage patterns in detail. Smartphone usage rates start at 22.5% for 0-year-olds, increase, dip between ages 6 and 8, and reach 58.5% by age 12. This dip in usage rates is driven by changing usage needs.

Figure 2 shows smartphone usage rates among children by device owner.

During infancy and early childhood, mothers often show their own smartphones to help children fall asleep, leading to frequent use of family-shared smartphones. However, as children grow older, opportunities decrease due to parental concerns about excessive smartphone use, damage from children handling devices spontaneously, and accidental operation.

Conversely, as children enter elementary school and their range of activities and social circles expand, more parents provide their children with dedicated smartphones to stay in contact and meet the children's own requests. Reflecting this situation, by age 10, the usage rates of family-shared smartphones and dedicated children's smartphones reverse. When elementary school girls in grades 5 and 6, who have their own smartphones, were asked about their daily lives, it became clear that smartphones are used for a wide range of purposes beyond communication with friends and family, including watching videos and gathering information.

Smartphones are now commonplace for parents, making their use in child-rearing a natural progression. In that sense, smartphones are also familiar to children, but their usage truly intensifies once they have their own device.

"Live TV" and "YouTube/YouTube Kids" are the top two! Children's video media usage trends

What kind of video media do children, adept at using various digital devices, engage with? The survey asked about the number of days per week they watch TV programs or online video services, regardless of location or device, and for users, the average viewing time per day (weekdays and weekends combined). Here, we present the usage patterns of 2-3 year olds and 10-12 year olds, which show distinctive media usage trends.

Figures 3 and 4 show weekly contact rates on the horizontal axis and contact frequency (number of days used per week by weekly users) on the vertical axis. Bubble size represents average viewing time per day of use (in minutes).

For 2-3 year olds, "TV Programs (Live)" and "YouTube/YouTube Kids" are very close (Figure 3). Their weekly contact rates are nearly identical at 78.7% and 77.5%, respectively, and their contact frequency is the same at 5.0 days/week.

The daily contact time per usage day is 50.7 minutes for TV programs and 57.9 minutes for YouTube/YouTube Kids, with YouTube/YouTube Kids surpassing other video media services. This level of similarity between the two is unique to the 2-3 age group compared to other age groups, indicating that YouTube/YouTube Kids occupies a very significant position in this age group's video media usage.

A defining characteristic of 10- to 12-year-olds is their exposure to a wide variety of video media services (Figure 4).

Similar to other age groups, "TV Programs (Live)" (90.0%) and "YouTube/YouTube Kids" (85.7%) have high weekly contact rates. Furthermore, the weekly contact rates for "Free videos [video posting/sharing]" (excluding YouTube/YouTube Kids) and "Free videos [other than video posting/sharing]" are 30.7% and 30.2% respectively, the highest across all age groups. This indicates frequent engagement with free services that have low barriers to entry.

Furthermore, weekly contact rates for TikTok and Instagram Reels (29.8% and 20.3%, respectively), contact frequency (3.7 days/week and 2.4 days/week, respectively), and daily contact time on (9.7 minutes and 3.8 minutes, respectively) are all higher than other age groups, indicating interest in social video.

Media Experiences in Childhood That May Characterize Generations

Finally, let's consider the influence of parents' media orientation and information consumption attitudes.

It is natural that children are significantly influenced by parents with whom they spend considerable time at home. From a media usage perspective, parents in their 20s and 30s today are the generation that experienced the proliferation of smartphones, SNS, and online video as users.

Increased exposure to overwhelming amounts of information has reportedly fostered a value system prioritizing efficiency and time (TIPA) among these younger generations. While parental approaches to media vary, their attitudes can shape the family's media consumption environment. This is particularly evident in television viewing: in households without a habit of watching programs live, children often record shows and watch only the segments featuring their favorite characters.

In group interviews, some mothers rarely watched TV live, while others habitually kept it on. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, CTV has introduced a new living room scene where families watch online videos together. While this article has presented figures like "usage rates" and "averages," it's important to note that the context of media use can vary significantly between households.

It is undeniable that today's children, who have smartphones and CTV readily available, are experiencing media differently than children in the past who lacked such access. This foundational experience significantly influences their media usage behavior as they grow older, and they will likely continue to flexibly use various digital devices and media services according to their own needs.

Understanding this generation's media usage behavior is crucial for considering the future relationship between media and audiences.

■ Details on the "Information Media White Paper 2024" can be found here.

【Survey Overview】
Survey Title: Overview of the "Joint Research on Media Use by Infants and Children"
Research Entities: Dentsu Inc.; Professor Yoshiaki Hashimoto (Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo / Professor, Tokyo Woman's Christian University)

(1) Quantitative Survey
・Survey Participants: 2,600 mothers with firstborn children aged 0 to 12 (elementary school age) (200 per age group)
・Survey Method: Nationwide Internet survey
・Survey Period: September 2023

*For services with age restrictions, responses included usage with family members or under parental supervision.

(2) Group Interview Survey
・Survey Participants: 2 groups (6 mothers of children aged 0–2, 5 mothers of girls in grades 5–6)
・Participant Criteria: Selected based on residence in the Kanto region (Tokyo and three prefectures), television ownership, and children's media usage patterns
・Survey Period: October 2023

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