LIKE their parents, young people are using the internet and social media to pursue their passions – and music is one of them. Most 7-15-year-olds listen to it, every day, on streaming platforms, according to a new British report.
The pandemic, with its various lockdowns and school closures, has had a major impact on the screen use habits of young people. Almost all British people aged 3 to 17 (99%) went online last year, according to figures from the British television regulator, Ofcom.* Many used the Internet to listen to music online.
Their platform of choice? YouTube. The majority of under-18s (51%) go to the Google subsidiary to watch music videos. Only humorous videos (65%) and those featuring cartoon characters (53%) are more popular with this age group.
However, Ofcom found gender differences: boys are more likely to watch videos related to video games and sports, while girls tend to prefer music videos, tutorials or content created by influencers.
How involved are parents?
Nevertheless, young people in the UK spend a lot of their time online with music. Some 90% of 7-15-year-olds have already listened to music online through a streaming service, while 51% do it daily. But not on the family computer.
Under-18s in the UK like to listen to audio content on their smartphone or, more surprisingly, on a smart speaker.
Smart speakers are particularly popular with young people. So much so that 83% of them have used these devices to dive into the discography of their favourite artists. A fifth of the children and teenagers surveyed by Ofcom also use connected speakers to listen to audiobooks, podcasts or even the radio.
Some parents take a dim view of their offspring's relationship with these electronic devices. A third of adults surveyed (37%) fear that they will misunderstand their children's instructions and broadcast inappropriate content.
That's why some don't hesitate to keep a close eye on what their kids are listening to. Most kids and teens (86%) say their parents know what they listen to. Some parents even choose on their kids' behalf which radio stations and music genres they can listen to.
This phenomenon is particularly pronounced among adults with children aged 7 to 9. The 13-15-year-olds have more freedom. Nine in 10 say they can listen to what they want and how they want at home. – ETX Daily Up, April 5, 2022
*The 2022 edition of the "Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes" report from Ofcom was conducted by compiling data on the media consumption habits of several thousand young people in the UK aged 3 to 17, and several thousand parents, between July and December 2021.
