Rise in children's online time

The annual report of Ofcom (the UK's communications industries regulator) reveals that children are spending even more time online.

Key findings

• For the first time 12-15 year olds are spending more time online than watching the TV
• Only 20% of 12-15 year olds say they would miss the TV more than any other device
• The number of texts being sent by 12-15 year olds (an average of 193 per week) has doubled in the last year
• Girls in that age bracket send 35% more texts than boys
• The average number of texts sent by 8-11 year olds has also doubled in the last year
• 62% of 12-15 year olds own a smartphone (compared with only 45% of UK adults)
• 14% of 5-15 year olds now use a tablet device (up from 5%)
• 9% of 3-4 year olds use a tablet device

For more information on the findings visit the Ofcom website.