In a study done by Synovate commissioned by the Cartoon Network, Filipino kids 7 – 14 years old are spending more time online compared to playing console games, listening to music, and reading non-school books. Internet usage is second only to watching TV. If you think about it, this was kinda expected due to the increasing number of internet cafes all over the country combined with the aggressive marketing and roll-out of broadband service providers.
What I find interesting in this particular chart is that console and handheld games are not as popular as people would like to think. This is mostly because of the price point which is a huge barrier for a lot of Filipinos. A PSP or Nintendo DS can set you back thousands of pesos… what more for a PS3 or and XBOX 360? The good thing with the internet is that it provides cheap entertainment. All you need is money for internet cafe rental and you’re all set.
Here’s what they actually use the internet for:
Online gaming and watching videos take the top two spots followed by doing school work and homework. Blogging is way down the list which is understandable since you can’t really expect them to blog at such an early age. What’s interesting to note here is that the study shows that kids do e-mail more than instant messaging (which I find unbelievable).
With regards to the sites that they visit, here’s the list:
Social networks rank high probably because of the availability of free web-based games that the kids can play. Note that Friendster is still the top site for them, most probably because they don’t want their parents prying on them on Facebook, haha! 
I’ll go through the study some more and make follow-up posts in the coming days.
Cheers!
Can you post a link to the original study? Thanks
Dear Carlo’
Thank you for sharing this study. The findings indeed validate what we see around in our own homes and at the internet cafes. How does one get a copy of the complete study?
Thank you again and I look forward to your follow-up posts on this.
More power!
Hi Carlo!
Great presentation of the study! Anyway, could you please help me find a study showing what reacreational hobbies/ past time do children normally spend their time on aside from the internet /t.v. Im thinking in terms of the more creative /physical activies (like sports and arts)… not passive activities such as playing video games/listening to music/ surfing the internet.
Good morning!
May I know where can I download or request a copy of 2009 New Generations Philippines?
Thank you very much.
Internet Games is much more cheaper and even social network such as facebook and friendster provide so many free games that able to play with their friend list as well.If internet continue provide free TV buffering, Free Music download. No doubt that internet usage will higher than tv and radio next time