Key things to know about children

• Scary stuff: kids' fears are personal and everyday - being bullied, falling out with friends, doing badly at school, the dark - and spiders.
  Source: Newsround/ChildWise, 2007
• Parents spend more time with their children than in the past. In 2008 three quarters of families regularly had a family meal together at home.
  Sources: Families in Britain 2008, DCFS
• When I grow up: boys want to be sports stars, girls teachers, hairdressers, nurses or vets. Teaching and nursing are exclusively girls' choices, while plumber and electrician are boys' preserves.
  Source: Newsround/ChildWise, 2007
• One in eight parents lacks confidence in helping their child at school.
  Source: DCSF National Survey of Parents and Children 2008
• What matters: girls think it's important to be kind (37%), intelligent (13%) and beautiful (11%). Boys want to be good at sport (27%), kind (20%) and rich (15%).
  Source: Newsround/ChildWise, 2007
• Never had it so good: nine out of ten kids (aged 6-12) believe their childhood is better than their parents' was. There's more choice, more affluence and better technology.
  Source: Newsround/ChildWise, 2007
• It's you and me, kid: nearly a quarter of children now grow up in single-parent households. That's more than three times the proportion 35 years ago.
  Source: ONS, 2007
• Eight in ten children feel it is very important to get good marks at school.
  Source: DCSF National Survey of Parents and Children 2008
• Prevalence of bullying is highest amongst children 10-13.
  Source: DCSF National Survey of Parents and Children 2008
• The rise of obesity: One in 10 kids in England is obese by primary school age, with particular problems in inner cities and poor areas. Hackney has the worst rate (16%), and Teesdale in Co Durham the best (5%).
  Source: Association of Public Health Observatories/Dept of Health, 2008

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Key things to know about their media habits

• CBBC is the most watched channel amongst 6-12 year old children but Disney channel is the absolute favourite. Girls especially love the US imports (Hannah Montana, High School Musical and Suite Life of Zack and Cody).
  Sources: CBBC Brand Tracker 2008; Childwise 2008/2009
• The end of family viewing? Three quarters of children aged 5-8 years have their own tv (and almost as many have a dvd player).
  Source: ChildWise, 2008/2009
• One in three children say that their computer is the single piece of equipment that they could least live without. Whereas one in five says that they could not live without TV.
  Source: ChildWise, 2008/2009
• Just for fun: behaviour online has changed. Whilst children used to access the internet for information and homework, it's now a source of fun - entertainment and networking in particular.
  Source: ChildWise, 2008/2009
• Despite the distractions of the internet, gaming and text messaging, tv is holding its own. Children watch 2.7 hours a day. Amongst all individuals this rises to 3.75 hours a day.
  Sources: Childwise 2008/2009; BARB 2008
• Amongst 6-12 year olds, by far the most popular mobile phone activity is texting.
  Source: ChildWise, 2008/2009
• Favourite internet sites for children include YouTube and Bebo. Amongst teens, Facebook and MySpace are popular. Most teens have their own profile.
  Source: Childwise 2008/2009
• More than one in three 5-8 year olds now have a mobile phone. Use among this age group continues to grow.
  Source: Childwise 2008/2009

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Page last updated 21 May 2009