TV top medium for kids in India: Study

Children in India are becoming more and more tech savvy, thanks to increased access to technology. As many as 10 per cent of Indian kids have personal mobile phones. They are also exposed to the Internet and 40 per cent of kids are online every other day. These are some of the findings of Cartoon Network's commissioned research study titled ‘New Generations 2012’.

According to the study, conducted by Nielsen India, television is the largest media for kid, with almost 100 per cent consumption. About 50 per cent consume cinema. This is followed by DVD, newspaper, storybooks, comic, radio and the internet.

The research covers 26 cities in India across three socio-economic status (SEC ABC) with 3,100 kids between the age group of 7 and 14, an equal number parents who have kids in the same age group, and 600 parents with the kids in the 4-6 age group (in six metros).

“We do this study every year to know our consumers better. While it may not directly reflect our programming strategy, it does trigger a few decisions. It definitely helps in guiding us. We are more informed and can have better partnerships with clients. For example, 40 per cent of parents say they definitely consider their kids’ choice before buying white goods. That allows us to talk to these companies, which may not be spending on a kids’ channel,” said Krishna Desai, director, content, South Asia, Turner International India.

Over the past decade, different rounds of the study have revealed kids’ perspectives across segments such as their media consumption habits, their heightened social consciousness, their choice of India’s leadership, their usage of computers, internet and gaming.