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They were born and raised with screens. Digital activities occupy an important place in the daily lives of Alpha generation children. So much so that 54% of parents say their child spends up to four hours a day on social media. A proportion roughly similar to that of the Z, according to a study by Morning Consult.
According to the latest study carried out by Morning Consult, 65% of 8-10 year olds spend up to four hours a day on social media, compared to 56% for the youngest Z, 13-17 year olds. Despite everything, 41% of 13-17 year olds still spend more than four hours on social networks every day, while a third of 8-10 year olds never use them. Social media is an integral part of North American children, even the youngest. 22% of those under four spend less than an hour per day on it (17% among 5-7 year olds).
YouTube, Dinsey+ and Netflix on the podium
The study results show that video streaming has become the norm for Alpha children. About half of parents say their child watches content on a video streaming platform at least once a day, compared to 40% for reading books and 37% for video games. Among the most popular platforms, we find YouTube, Disney+ and Netflix at the top.
However, these digital activities represent only a minority of Alpha children’s interests. 36% of parents stating that their child prefers to spend time indoors in front of a screen, compared to 55% for outdoor activities. A gap which nevertheless narrows as children grow up, “with the largest change occurring when children move out of the 5-7 age group and into the 8-10 age group“, indicates the study.
“Although social media isn’t among Alpha kids’ top three favorite activities, it’s growing in importance for kids ages 8 to 10, second only to streaming video and playing video games.“, underlines Morning Consult.
*Surveys conducted from October 16 to 29, 2023 among a representative sample of 1,002 members of Generation Z aged 13 to 26, and from January 3 to 18, 2024 among a representative sample of 2,007 parents of children under 11 years old.