Today’s kids are growing up immersed in technology and social media. They’ve never known a world without it. It’s critical to know where kids spend time online. Some big questions we must ask ourselves are…
- How much time are they spending online each day?
2. Where are they spending their time online?
3. How are they using their time online to improve themselves?
4. Are there any harmful sites or interactions that they are involved in?
5. How can we help them stay safe online?
6. How can their time online help them grow as a leader and more importantly as a person?
Let’s look at the latest trends of where kids spend time online.
The insight will help us answer some of these questions.
Kids are using:
83% use YouTube
21% use Twitter
38% use What’s App
33% use Instagram
35% use Facebook
34% use Snapchat
16% use Pinterest
Average amount of time kids spend online:
YouTube – weekdays -1 hr. 25 min. / weekends -1 hr. 49 min.
Twitter – weekdays – 1 hr. 18 min. / weekends – 1 hr. 22 min.
Instagram – weekdays – 1 hr. 15 min. / weekends – 1 hr. 25 min.
Facebook – weekdays – 1 hr. 15 min. / weekends – 1 hr. 25 min.
SnapChat – weekdays – 1 hr. 11 min. / weekends – 1 hr. 19 min.
Pinterest – weekdays – 1 hr. 11 min. / weekends – 1 hr. 17 min.
What’s App – weekdays – 1 hr. 6 min. / weekends – 1 hr. 13 min.
What do they do online?
Watch videos – YouTube – 87%
Communicate with Family Members – Facebook – 35%
Communicate with Friends – Snapchat – 37%
Post and Feature Photos – Instagram – 33%
Play Games – 62%
- Roblox is an amateur game-maker/-player system for Xbox, PC, tablets and smartphones. Millions of children play online together because of its varied and unusual games its makers have created.
- Battle Royale pits up to 100 players against each other while a mysterious cloud steadily reduces the size of the war zone, creating knife edge and climatic gun fights.
- Overwatch is a multiplayer shooting game in which two teams of six players compete to capture and defend various objectives.
- Star Wars Battlefront II is a game that recreates an authentic Star Wars experience with less violence than the straight-up war titles such as Call of Duty. You play an elite special forces soldier in a new Star Wars campaign that bridges the events between the films Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Usage peaks around 5:00 pm and then drops off after 8 pm. On weekends, the most popular hours are between 6 to 8 pm.
As children’s ministry leaders, it is important for us to keep parents informed about the good and bad sides of the internet. There is danger to be found online and we must partner with parents… equipping them to guide their children.
And we should not only warn them about the dangerous aspects of the internet, but inform them about the good side as well. There are many online Bible programs, games and videos that can help children grow in their faith. We can guide kids and their parents to these sites and help them grow in their faith.
This article about where kids spend time online originally appeared here.
The information in this article was taken from the UK study on Social Media, Television and Children, a summary of which can be found here.
