Abstract:

This study investigated the social viewing situation of children aged 4-11 watching television, which was split into three categories: solitary dewing, peer viewing, and co-viewing with an adult. The period in focus was late afternoon through evening every weekday during 1997. During he study period children spent 37% of their television viewing time engaged in solitary viewing, 11% in peer viewing, and 52% in co-viewing with an adult. Solitary viewing was highest in the late afternoon and Peaked between 6 and 06:30 p.m., whereas co-viewing with an adult was dominant later in the evening. However, children's solitary viewing never erased to exist and during the late prime time hours between 10-12 p.m., 1-2% of children watch television alone. More than 60% of viewing of all programme types took place with an adult present, except for children's programmes.