Media User Types among Young Children and Social Displacement

Abstract

There is a lack of research on the role that new media play in the life of young children under the age of 13 years. Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between distinct media user types and social displacement among children under the age of 13. A sample of 1,117 Norwegian schoolchildren from the age of 7 to 12 years responded to a questionnaire about their computer game-playing habits and their use of computers, the Internet, mobile phones and television. The results indicate four specific user types reflecting children’s various uses of new media: a) Advanced Users, b) Offline Gamers, c) Instrumental Users, and d) Low Users. Some indications of displacement were found between TV, reading and drawing and between new media usage and participation in organized sports activities. At the same time, clear indications support the “more is more” hypothesis, which predicts that active media users will be active children.