Internet sidelines TV for youngsters

By Michele Cassano and Domenico Mugnaini) (ANSA) - Borgo La Bagnaia (Siena) - Young people are not at all un interested or distant from the world of information, recognising its importance and relevance, according to a study entitled "Young people and Information," carried out by Gfk Eurisko as part of the "Daily newspaper in the classroom" initiative that has been under way for the past 15 years involving 45,000 teachers and over 2 million students.
    Compared to the recent past, a revolution in access to news is under way, starting with the decline of television, which has given up ground to the Internet, the study underlines.
    Social networks are the main novelty, according to the results of the research disclosed at the conference entitled "Growing between the lines," held at Borgo La Bagnaia, with 91% of youngsters using social networks at least once a week including for information searches (used by 87% once a week).
    Social networks are the "medium" with as many as 65% using them every day.
    As many as 94% of young people use Internet sites for information purposes with 88% using them every week compared with 78% a year ago and 47% of students seeking information every day.
    Television and television news still play a big role but are in gradual decline among young people with 40% of students watching tv news every day compared with 54% two years ago.
    Young people are reading fewer printed publications, both weeklies and monthlies, though readership of daily newspapers is constant thanks to the "Daily in the Classroom" scheme, meaning that 79% of students read dailies.
    Subjects most of interest are music (52% say they are "very interested"), followed by local news in the area where they live (48%), and new technology and cinema (32%).
    Traditionally male subjects such as football and videogames are in decline.
    Use of TV is down among teenagers from 14 to 18 years (only 17% watch it for more than three hours a day compared to 31% in 2006), while 92% of students connect to Internet every day at least once, 84% more than once a day, compared to 64% just two years ago. As many as 67% of connections are made on mobile devices.
    Smartphone availability has reached saturation point with every young person interviewed owning one and more than two thirds having access to a tablet.
    As many as 95% of students say their profiles are on a social network with 89% displaying them on Facebook, 86% on YouTube, 59% on Instagram, 52% on Messenger, 50% on Google+, 24% on Skype and just 19% on Twitter.