Too Smart To Start SmartSTATS: a Data Book

Access to Media and Use

Youth spend much of their leisure time exposed to media/entertainment.

Exposure to media influences knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. (Roberts & Christenson)
Television is the most common information/ entertainment medium in households, with 99 percent of 8- to 13-yearolds having access to one or more television sets. (Rideout, et al.)
Among other common media vehicles are VCRs (97 percent), radios (96 percent), tape players (96 percent), and CD players (92 percent). (Rideout, et al.)
Many 8- to 13-year-olds have private access to media, with 65 percent of them having a television, 34 percent a VCR, 81 percent a radio, 74 percent a tape player, and 64 percent a CD player in their own bedrooms. (Rideout, et al.)
Eight- to thirteen-year-olds spend close to 7 hours per day using some type of media. (Rideout, et al.)
Much of that time (4-1/2 hours) is spent watching television (including commercial and taped video programs). (Rideout, et al.)
Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes per day is spent listening to radio, CDs, and tapes. (Rideout, et al.)
Less than 1 hour per day is spent reading leisure materials. (Rideout, et al.)

Youth distinguish between advertising and programming on television.

More than three out of five (62 percent) 9- to 11-year-olds do not like watching television commercials and more than half (56 percent) sometimes/usually change the channel when a commercial begins. (Yankelovich)

Nine- to thirteen-year-olds have ready access to computers and to the Internet.

Approximately 90 percent of 9- to 13-year-olds use computers at school. (FERRET)
Nearly three out of four (73 percent) 9-to 13-year-olds have computers at home and of those, only 8 percent do not use them. (FERRET)

Of those using home computers:

Seventy-eight percent use them to do their school assignments; (FERRET)
Eighty-four percent use them to connect to the Internet and 53 percent use them for e-mail. (FERRET)
Five percent of parents say that concern about how children will use the Internet is their main reason for not having Internet access. (FERRET)

Portrayal of Alcohol Use in the Entertainment Media

Alcohol use is often portrayed positively on television.

Alcohol consumption is more common on television than either tobacco or other drug use. (Roberts & Christenson)
Television portrayals of alcohol consumption are, in general, more likely to be positive than negative. (Roberts & Christenson)
Alcohol references in popular television shows are often paired with humor. (Christenson, Henriksen, & Roberts)
In a review of 4 consecutive episodes of the 20 most popular television shows among 12- to 17-year-olds, alcohol use was mentioned in almost three-fourths (73 percent) and it was consumed by major characters in more than half (53 percent) of the 80 episodes. (Christenson, Henriksen, & Roberts)

Movies routinely depict alcohol use.

Among the 200 most popular home video rentals in 1996-1997, 92 percent contained references to alcohol. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)
In more than half (57 percent) of those movies depicting alcohol consumption, no negative consequences to the user were depicted. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)
Thirty-four percent associated alcohol use with wealth and luxury. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)
Nineteen percent associated alcohol use with sexual activity. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)
Alcohol use was associated with crime or violence in more than one-third (37 percent) of the most popular movie rentals in 1996-1997. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)

Music lyrics contain references to alcohol consumption.

Among 1,000 of the most popular songs for 1996-1997, 15 percent made reference to alcohol consumption. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)
In nearly every song (91 percent) depicting alcohol consumption, no negative consequences to the user were depicted. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)
Twenty-four percent associated alcohol use with wealth and luxury. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)
Thirty-four percent associated alcohol use with sexual activity. (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)
Of the five musical genres evaluated, alcohol use was most common among rap (47 percent), followed by countrywestern (13 percent), hot-100/top-40 (12 percent), alternative rock (10 percent), and heavy metal (4 percent). (Roberts, Henriksen, & Christenson)