Engl. transl.: MIKE- Media, Interaction, Children, Parents: 2017 MIKE Stydy Results Report

The MIKE study is a representative study of the media usage behavior of children of primary school age living in Switzerland. MIKE stands for Media, Interaction, Children, Parents. This report is based on the 2017 survey. The first MIKE study was published in 2015. In 2017, a total of 1128 children between the ages of six and thirteen were surveyed in the three major language regions of Switzerland. In addition, the responses of 629 parents were included in the analysis. The results of the MIKE study 2017 show that most children in Switzerland grow up in media-rich households and that media experiences shape their everyday lives. Cell phones, Internet access, and TV sets are present in almost all households. Despite the wide range of digital media, playing outside or inside is the most popular leisure activity. Homework is also part of the children's daily routine. The activities of meeting friends, playing sports, and doing something with the family are performed about as frequently as the most common media activities: watching TV, listening to music, and reading books. In the course of elementary school, media use behavior changes, and the Internet and cell phones, in particular, are used more frequently by older children. Although many children do not yet own a cell phone or do not use one regularly, the cell phone ranks first among children's most popular media. Children have significantly more positive than negative experiences with both TV and Internet content. In addition to children's media use, the MIKE study also sheds light on numerous aspects of the tension between family and media. Parents and children influence each other's media use and often use the same media with similar frequency, except for videogames- After the MIKE study in 2015 recorded parents' greatest concerns about media use, in 2017 the opportunities of media use were surveyed from the parents' point of view: Parents see the greatest advantages of the media for their children as the fact that they represent a large, diverse, easily accessible source of information that can promote their children's education. In addition to analyses of the media and leisure time behavior of children and parents in the overall sample, further evaluations were conducted for the following characteristics: Age, gender, language region, migration background, socioeconomic status, degree of urbanity, and family size. The MIKE study provides reliable and representative findings for authorities, institutions, and private individuals dealing with children.

The results of the MIKE study 2017 show that most children in Switzerland grow up in media-rich households and that media experiences shape their everyday lives. Cell phones, Internet access, and TV sets are present in almost all households. Despite the wide range of digital media, playing outside or inside is the most popular leisure activity. Homework is also part of the children's daily routine. The activities of meeting friends, playing sports, and doing something with the family are performed about as frequently as the most common media activities: watching TV, listening to music, and reading books. In the course of elementary school, media use behavior changes, and the Internet and cell phones, in particular, are used more frequently by older children. Although many children do not yet own a cell phone or do not use one regularly, the cell phone ranks first among children's most popular media. Children have significantly more positive than negative experiences with both TV and Internet content. In addition to children's media use, the MIKE study also sheds light on numerous aspects of the tension between family and media. Parents and children influence each other's media use and often use the same media with similar frequency, except for videogames- After the MIKE study in 2015 recorded parents' greatest concerns about media use, in 2017 the opportunities of media use were surveyed from the parents' point of view: Parents see the greatest advantages of the media for their children as the fact that they represent a large, diverse, easily accessible source of information that can promote their children's education. In addition to analyses of the media and leisure time behavior of children and parents in the overall sample, further evaluations were conducted for the following characteristics: Age, gender, language region, migration background, socioeconomic status, degree of urbanity, and family size. The MIKE study provides reliable and representative findings for authorities, institutions, and private individuals dealing with children.