An Ofcom report shows that only 15% of 5-15 year-olds have a radio in their bedroom, down from 19% in 2012

Ofcom has published, 2013 Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes report, which provides detailed evidence on media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young people aged 5-15. For the first time it also provides detailed information about access to, and use of, media among children aged 3-4.

The report also includes findings relating to parents’ views about their children’s media use, and the ways that parents seek to monitor or limit such use.

Among the report’s findings are:

There has been a decline in the number of 5–15s owning a mobile phone;
The use of tablet computers at home has tripled among 5-15s since last year;
Children’s preference for internet-enabled devices reflects changes in how and why they are going online;
For the first time there has been a decrease in the number of children with social networking profiles;
Most parents of 5-15s say that they know enough to keep their child safe online; but around half of parents feel that their child knows more about the internet than they do.

The reference to a decline in mobile phones appears to relate to a fall in those using old "2G type" voice/text only phones. 18% of 8-11 year-olds now have their own smartphone.

The finding that fewer young people have social networking profiles seems surprising but there is a possibility that the figures for those aged under 13 are inaccurate. In order to set up a Facebook account people under 13 have to say they are older than they are, e.g. born in 1999 or earlier. Youngsters may simply be reluctant to admit in a questionnaire that they are in breach of age restrictions.

Read the Ofcom report - http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/media-literacy/october-2013/research07Oct2013.pdf

Ofcom has also published the report’s underlying questionnaire and data tables - http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/media-literacy-pubs/