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In the archive
Audience trends

Penetration of, and access to, selected media and communication devices in households with children, 1995 and 2007

Penetration of selected devices, 1995 and 2007
Penetration of selected devices by household characteristics, 2007
Access to selected devices in children’s bedrooms, 2007

Penetration of selected devices, 1995 and 2007

Television ownership has remained consistent between 1995 and 2007, with more than 99 per cent of families surveyed owning at least one television set. In contrast, ownership of computers and games consoles rose significantly while VCRs were the only devices surveyed in both 1995 and 2007 to fall.

DVD players have recorded strong growth since their introduction in the Australian marketplace in the late 1990s. In 2007, 97 per cent of households with children aged 8–17 owned at least one DVD player, and often more.

Device 1995 2007
Penetration of devices Penetration of devices Average number of devices owned
Television >99% >99% 2.8
Computer 59% 98% 1.8
Mobile phone n.a. 97% 2.9
DVD player n.a. 97% 1.7
VCR 93% 89% 1.4
Games console 58% 77% 1.0
Portable MP3/4 player n.a. 76% 1.5
Games console that can play DVDs n.a. 63% 0.7
Mobile phone with advanced features1 n.a. 56% 1.0
Handheld games console 39% 48% 0.8
Portable DVD players with display n.a. 27% 0.3
DVD recorder n.a. 23% 0.3
Portable MP4 player with video n.a. 17% 0.2
Hard-drive recorder n.a. 13% 0.1

Source: Compiled by Screen Australia using data published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in Media and Communications in Australian Families, 2007, and data published by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) and the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) in Families and Electronic Entertainment, 1995.

Notes:
Based on samples of households with children aged 8-17.
1. Examples of features include internet access, video content, mobile TV or an MP3 player.

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Penetration of selected devices by household characteristics, 2007

In 2007, family households with higher incomes were generally more likely to have access to digital free-to-air/subscription television and internet/broadband services than those in lower income brackets. Although handheld games consoles followed the same pattern, the reverse can be said of television-based games consoles, which recorded a falling penetration among higher-income households.

Device Location Household income Language spoken Total
Metro Non-metro <$35k $35-$69k $70-$99k $100k+ English only Other
Television  
Digital free-to-air television 34% 29% 17% 28% 36% 41% 32% 37% 32%
Subscription television 32% 30% 21% 33% 31% 38% 32% 28% 32%
Computer  
Internet 93% 87% 75% 90% 96% 96% 91% 95% 91%
Broadband 81% 67% 50% 69% 82% 91% 76% 83% 76%
Games  
Consoles 75% 81% 82% 79% 79% 72% 78% 73% 77%
Handheld consoles 50% 42% 43% 45% 47% 56% 47% 56% 48%

Source: Compiled by Screen Australia using data published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in Media and Communications in Australian Families, 2007.

Notes:
Based on a sample of 751 households with children aged 8-17.

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Access to selected devices in children’s bedrooms, 2007

In 2007, boys were more likely than girls to have access to media and communication devices in their bedrooms. In particular, 16 per cent of boys reported having games consoles, compared to 6 per cent of girls.

Access varied among the three age categories. Among children aged 8–14, those aged 11 or under reported greater access to the computers and the internet, while those aged 12 or older had slightly greater access to television and games consoles. However, children aged 15–17 were more likely to have access to any of the selected devices in their bedrooms than those aged 8–14.

  Television DVD player Computer Internet Games console
Sex
Boys 23% 11% 19% 11% 16%
Girls 18% 8% 17% 10% 6%
Age
8–11 12% 6% 17% 10% 6%
12–14 19% 7% 14% 8% 11%
15–17 32% 15% 19% 14% 15%

Source: Compiled by Screen Australia using data published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in Media and Communications in Australian Families, 2007.

Notes:
Based on a sample of 751 households with children aged 8-17. In total, 1003 children were surveyed.

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