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How knowledgeable are you about your kids' technology?

Teens send an average of 111 text messages per day. That is twice the rate of the next highest group, 18- to 24-year-olds.

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By Gregory Ramey, Ph.D., Contributing Writer 7:57 PM Friday, July 29, 2011

How much do you really know about your teen’s use of technology? Based upon recent research published by Nielsen, take this true-or-false quiz to see how knowledgeable you are about your kids’ technological lives.

1. True or false: Teens text more than any other age group.

True. Teens send an average of 111 text messages per day. That is twice the rate of the next highest group, 18- to 24-year-olds. This represents a 566 percent increase in the past two years, with 77 percent of teens owning their own mobile phone.

2. True or false: TV viewing is decreasing among teenagers.

False. Teens watch an average of three hours and 20 minutes of TV every day. While their TV viewing is low in comparison with other age groups, it has increased 6 percent over the past five years.

3. True or false: Teens watch more TV than kids in any other country.

False. American teens actually watch less TV than kids in other countries where Nielsen is able to electronically monitor TV usage. South African kids watch more than five hours of TV per day, while teenagers in Taiwan watch only two hours and 47 minutes.

4. True or false: Teens multi-task much more frequently than adults, using several media (e.g., TV, texting, gaming) simultaneously.

False. Teens simultaneously use two or more media about 23 percent of the time, which is less frequently than adults, who do so 31 percent of the time.

5. True or false: Other than seniors, teens talk less on the phone than any other group.

True. Teens talk an average of 17 minutes per day on the phone.

6. True or false: Teens are frequent users of social networking sites.

True. Seventy-nine percent of teens visit blogs or connect via social networks. This has become the way many teens reach each other and chat about their lives.

7. True or false: Teens use the Internet less than most age groups.

True. Teens spend about 11 1/2 hours online every month, much less than the average of 29 hours and 15 minutes.

8. True or false: Teens rarely read newspapers.

False. One in four teens reads a newspaper daily.

9. True or false: Teens’ media interests are dramatically different from that of their parents.

False. Neilson reports more similarities than differences between kids and parents, with “American Idol” being teens’ top show, Google being the preferred website and dramas being the most popular category of shows. All of these preferences are similar to those of adults.

10. True or false: Advertisers in the teen market focus on food and entertainment.

False. Advertisers focus on clothes and beauty products.

What does this all mean? Our kids are mostly like us, with two big exceptions.

They communicate by texting and connect via Facebook. Rather than lament these changes, we need to educate ourselves about our kids’ technological lives so we can help them use technology in a safe, responsible and fun manner.

Next week: Questions from readers.

Gregory Ramey, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and vice president for outpatient services at the Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. For more of his columns, visit www.childrens dayton.org/ramey.

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