YOUNGSTERS are switching off traditional TV to stream shows on their phones.
Telly regulator Ofcom last year found teenagers are more likely to get their news through Instagram and TikTok than the news channels.
Traditional TV is on the decline as youngsters turn to Instagram and TikTok instead
We asked kids across the country about their viewing habits
But they are also watching their favourite movies and TV shows on these apps.
We asked kids across the country, aged nine to 14, about their viewing habits.
This is what they had to say . . .
‘The licence fee is a crazy idea, I won’t be paying it’
ARIF HISHAM, 11 – USES TABLET
Arif prefers to use his tablet to watch YouTube and watch videos from kids his own age
ARIF, from Southampton, says: “While I’ll occasionally watch telly with my parents, I prefer to use my tablet to watch YouTube.
“I like joke videos and watching kids my own age make videos about what it would be like if they were a millionaire for a day.
“TV channels are for boring old people. When my mum told me what the BBC licence fee was, I thought she was crazy paying for it.
“I won’t when I’m older.”
‘You have to wait to watch on TV – but not on a phone’
AMELIA ROSE ODOGWU, 11 – PHONE & TABLET
Amelia Rose says TV is dull and only sits down with her mum to watch EastEnders
AMELIA ROSE, from Swanley, Kent, only sits down with her mum Samantha, 40, to watch EastEnders.
She says: “TV is dull, there are boring adverts and you have to wait to watch what you want.
“I use my phone and tablet to watch YouTube, Netflix and Disney+.
“Watching TV my way puts me in control. It’s instant and I can choose from millions of options.
“The licence fee sounds so old-fashioned.”
‘I was first with EastEnders baby plot – I saw it on bus’
ALBIE PRESTON, 14 – MOBILE PHONE
Albie started watching EastEnders at Christmas after watching clips on TikTok from the show
ALBIE, from North London, said: “It’s rare that I sit down with my family to watch TV. I watch telly on my phone.
“I started watching EastEnders at Christmas because of clips on TikTok.
“Lily’s pregnancy left us all shocked because she’s only 12.
“When we were all waiting to find out who the daddy was, the episode dropped on BBC iPlayer on my way to school on the bus. I ran in to tell them little Ricky got her pregnant.”
‘I can see a whole movie for free from YouTube clips’
CLOVER COOPER, 10 – LAPTOP & TABLET
Clover likes watching free clips from movies on YouTube
CLOVER, from Darlington, said: “I like watching clips from movies on YouTube as there’s nowhere else to do that for free.
“You have to pay for movies on streaming sites so I’ll watch the movie in different clips online.
“I like watching Stranger Things on Netflix. I use Netflix a lot.
“I like streaming channels because there’s lots of variety.
“I rarely watch stuff on an actual TV. It’s always on my laptop or tablet.”
‘TV is only good for sport, I prefer my phone or iPad’
ELIJAH DALLEN, 14 – PHONE OR iPAD
Elijah is a big sports fan and likes to watch events on telly but everything else on his phone or tablet
ELIJAH, from Coventry, says: “I suppose I’m quite old school because I like to watch TV at home.
“I’m a big sports fan and prefer to watch events on a proper screen.
“But for everything else I’m usually on my phone or iPad.
“I use YouTube to watch gaming videos and football analysis and revision videos for school.
“Amazon Prime and Netflix have great sports documentaries and make really good TV shows.”
‘I prefer streaming apps as I really hate ads on YouTube’
ELLA-ROSE KITCHING, 9 – MUM’S PHONE
Ella-Rose prefers streaming apps to YouTube where there’s frequently adverts
ELLA-ROSE, from Shotton Colliery, Co Durham, said: “I watch TV on my mam’s TikTok account.
I use her phone and usually watch songs and clips from movies like Disney’s CoCo. I also like watching puppy videos.
“If I watch YouTube videos of people painting dolls and toys there’s an advert every two seconds. I hate them.
“So I do prefer streaming apps like Netflix in that sense.”
