Engl. transl.: JAMES Youth, Activities, Media - Survey Switzerland

JAMES stands for Youth, Activities, Media Survey Switzerland. This JAMES study has been providing representative figures on media use by young people in Switzerland since 2010 and is conducted by ZHAW every two years. It sheds light on positive and negative aspects of media use and provides scientifically reliable data for authorities, professionals and interested parties concerned with youth and media. In 2018, almost 1,200 young people aged 12 to 19 in Switzerland's three major language regions were surveyed in writing. The main focus is again on the use of various media, but other non-media leisure activities are also surveyed. In addition to analyses across the total sample, differences in socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, formal education level or socio-economic status are considered. A comparison over time shows a change in non-media leisure activities for the first time: Since 2010, the frequency of joint activities with the family has increased, while meeting friends has decreased. 99% of young people in Switzerland own a smartphone. A downward trend can be observed over the last six years in the spread of MP3 players/iPods, DVD players and portable game consoles. The importance of streaming services, on the other hand, is increasing markedly: more than half of all households in which young people live have a subscription to stream music and movies (e.g., Spotify, Netflix). Almost all young people make use of cell phones and the Internet on a daily basis. The vast majority also use social networks, watch videos on the Internet or listen to music at least several times a week. Two-thirds of all boys (66%) game every day or several times a week, compared to just 11% of girls. The most popular game is Fortnite, a game in which the Battle Royale mode is particularly popular with both boys and girls. 87% and 86% of all young people in Switzerland have an account on Instagram and Snapchat respectively. Around three quarters use these two platforms every day, and a large proportion of them even use them several times a day. In the social networks, primarily photos, videos or texts are viewed and liked by others. Less than half of the young people actively post their own contributions several times a week or more. In the last four years, a significant increase in cybergrooming has been noted: One third of young people state that he/she has already been approached online by strangers with unwanted sexual intentions.

More than one-third of all young people have a music streaming subscription à la Spotify or a movie/series streaming subscription such as Netflix. This means that in the last two years these subscriptions have more than doubled among young people. Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat as must-haves: these three communication services are the most popular among young people. Almost all respondents have an account on Instagram or Snapchat. In the social networks, young people behave restrained and reveal little of themselves publicly. Most often, photos, videos or texts are viewed and liked. Chatting or writing personal messages within the networks is also popular. On the other hand, fewer than half of the young people regularly post their own contributions.