Teenagers and children in the UK are increasingly watching TV through a smartphone and using an on-demand services. Research by MediaCom showed that 33% of teenagers regularly watch TV content via a smartphone, which is up from 25% for from 2016. Also, teenagers are increasingly choosing to watch TV using on-demand services, with 38% selecting this as their most common way to view followed by 35% that watch most of their TV live.
The study also showed that smartphone ownership has significantly grown among pre-teens within the last year. Some 66% of 8-12 year olds now own a smartphone, compared to only 49% in 2015 and 58% in 2016. While smartphones have become more accessible at a younger age, the tablet is rapidly losing pace. Tablet ownership has dipped 8% among 8-12 year olds and 4% in the 13 plus age group, compared to 2016.
Netflix remains the most used streaming service with 58% of 13-19 year olds using the on-demand TV service, but is the only platform that has not experienced growth since last year. Amazon Instant Video comes second, with 32% of teenagers using the streaming service, which is up from 24% last year. Also, 15% of teens use NowTV and 11% watch content on Apple TV.
Josh Krichefski, CEO of MediaCom UK, commented that 84% of young people regularly watch live programming on TV and watching streaming services is no longer the only way children watch. As smartphones become increasingly accessible at an earlier age, children are the first generation growing up as true digital natives and are therefore savvy about digital advertising and the data that fuels it. Brands need to ensure that their targeting is relevant and enhance the experience for the consumer, whatever their age group.
Some 49% of 8-12 year olds are concerned about what information advertisers have about them, which is up by 10% since 2016. For 13-16 year olds, 47% admitted unease, which is up 6% compared to last year. The 17-19 year olds remain the most worried about data privacy, with 54% showing concern.
