Internet (and of course: full battery) a basic necessity
Born after 1996, online 24/7 and more digital than any previous generation. Young people grow up with online media and it is also no more than normal that there is always internet available. It is as obvious as water from the tap. In short, internet is the first necessity of life . They spend a large part of their free time online. In their own digital world in which they are alone or with each other. Free from all daily 'obligations' of parents and school. They make contact there, hang out with each other and develop (online) knowledge and skills.
Photo from Snapchat
Photo from Snapchat
And of course, that is not possible without the smartphone. The smartphone is fully integrated into their lives. 99 percent of young people (13 to 18 years old) own a smartphone (pdf). It is a generation that grows up completely online with a smartphone in their hand. They can swipe before they can talk and are therefore also called 'Generation Swipe'.
Young people use social media en masse. Almost all young people (99%) from 12 to 25 years old use social media . To listen to music, watch movies and series (Netflix), app with friends and to play games. The social environment is of vital importance to young people. But how much time do they spend on these media in a day?
Research by Media:Tijd shows that they spend 7 hours and 42 minutes per day on media (pdf). The largest part of that is really spent on communicating via social media (2 hours and 12 minutes) and watching videos and TV (2 hours and 15 minutes). Of that viewing time, 21 percent is streamed (via Netflix) or downloaded, and 11 heavy construction contractors email list percent is watching videos on YouTube, among other places.
A recent British study even shows that young people already watch more online 'TV' (via Netflix) than they traditionally do in front of the television. They spend the rest of the time listening to music (1 hour and 35 minutes). And boys do this half an hour longer per day than girls. They also spend more time (45 minutes) gaming than girls.
Media use among young people
Media use among young people
Push notifications are better than paper
Not surprisingly, young people have a strong preference for mobile devices, such as smartphones. For example, they mainly view media on their smartphones (4 hours and 30 minutes per day). And only 8 minutes on paper. And that is the other way around for all 'older' generations: mobile technology is still making way for the old-fashioned paper. Young people therefore prefer to stay informed about something via their smartphones than on paper. And that is not strange, is it? Why would you still want to read news in the newspaper, for example, if you have already consumed it the day before via a push message from NOS or NU.nl?