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About two-thirds of children in the Philippines own a mobile phone, more than kids in Australia and Taiwan, a Cartoon Network study showed.
The cable TV network’s New Generations 2012 poll found that personal ownership of mobile phones among Filipino children aged seven to 14 had increased dramatically to 65% as of this year, a 71% jump from the 38% recorded three years earlier.
Current mobile phone ownership levels among kids in Australia and Taiwan, in comparison, were at 42% and 22%, respectively.
Duncan Morris, vice-president for research and market development of Turner International Asia Pacific, Ltd., said the high level of mobile phone ownership indicated that the next generation of Filipinos was one of the most connected in the Asia-Pacific region.
Turner International is the parent firm of Cartoon Network.
Mr. Morris said the same study showed that more than half (53%) of the Filipino children surveyed from urban centers now live in Internet-enabled homes, up significantly from 32% three years ago.
Eight out of 10 (82%) Filipino children access the Internet at least weekly and over a third (37%) are daily Internet users.
Even among younger kids aged seven to eight, Internet usage is high at 75% weekly, while 45% of teens aged 13-14 use the Internet daily.
The study also indicated that Filipino children were adept at switching between screens and devices.
Over a third (38%) watch TV on a flat panel screen. This has more than tripled since 2009 when only 11% of homes owned this type of TV set.
As much as 54% of kids’ homes have access to digital cameras (up 29% from the 42% of homes in 2009), while 20% of those surveyed have a smartphone within reach.
Close to two thirds of kids (63%) live in homes with a desktop or laptop computer, up 34% from the 47% seen in 2009.
A little over one in 10 kids (12%) have their own computer -- three times higher than the 4% in the last survey.
The latest gadget to break into the market is the tablet and already 16% of homes in the Philippines have one.
"The findings show young Pinoys not only have the know-how in the digital space, but increasingly have the tools to consume and experience media across multiple platforms -- from TV to PC, from their tablet to phone," Mr. Morris said in a statement.
New Generations 2012 is the fifth in a series of surveys dedicated to the opinions, preferences, and lifestyles of Filipino kids released by Cartoon Network since 2003.
It used face-to-face, in-home interviews with a randomly selected sample of 1,000 kids aged seven to 14 and their parents across the A, B, C and D socioeconomic classes. The survey had an even sample split by gender and age range (seven to eight, nine to 10, 11-12, and 13-14.)
The study, conducted for Cartoon Network by Ipsos, was carried out in Manila, Cebu and Davao from Feb. 25 to March 26, 2012.
Similar localized surveys were done in Japan, India, Australia, Taiwan and Singapore.
"New Generations 2012 is an integral part of Cartoon Network’s ongoing quest to learn about kids, their lifestyles, opinions, and behavior," Mr. Morris said.
The study also revealed that the Internet was an increasingly large virtual playground for Filipino kids, with 82% of those living in homes with a computer going online every week.
Gaming continues to be the top Internet pastime with 58% playing daily. Catching up quickly in popularity are social networking sites, with 52% of kids surveyed logging on every day.
Other common Internet activities include listening to music (41%), watching videos (36%), doing homework (28%) and photo sharing (23%).
But even if more Filipino kids have mobile phones and other gadgets, most still prefer the television, the survey found.
In an average week, 99% watched TV while only 76% accessed the Internet. By comparison, 40% listened to the radio, 13% read newspapers, and 9% read magazines.
Of the 1,000 respondents, 70% said they read books regularly while around half listen to music CDs and MP3s (53%), and watch DVDs and VCDs (49%).
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By: Jeffrey O. Valisno
Source: BusinessWorld, May 11, 2012
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