Swiss children still prefer sports over watching TV, says study

All forms of non-digital games and sports remain the favourite activities of children aged 6-13, just as they were in previous years, said the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. © Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Children of primary-school age spend more free time playing sports and socialising than they do watching television or using the internet, following a dip in physical activity during the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study reveals.

With pandemic restrictions in place at the height of the pandemic, children were unable to do certain leisure activities and the use of digital media increased as a result of distance learning. The lockdown, however, had no long-term impact on the habits of children, according to the latest MIKE (Media, interaction, children and parents) survey released on Thursday by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW).

All forms of non-digital games and sports such as football or cycling remain the favourite activities of children aged 6-13, just as they were in previous years, said ZHAW.

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Watching television remains the most popular digital activity for this age group. About half of the children watch it daily, for about half an hour, according to parents. Streaming services such as Netlfix and online videos on YouTube are becoming increasingly popular.

Video games are also popular: 77% of boys and 51% of girls play at least once a week. Time spent playing these games generally increases with age, before reaching a plateau around age 12-13.

TikTok a digital favourite

More than half of the children surveyed had their own mobile phones, with ownership rising to three-quarters among 12-13 year-olds. While the youngest children used their phones mainly for entertainment via music and games, from the age of 10 onwards, children used a wider range of functions, such as communicating on social networks.

The Chinese app TikTok was the most frequently used social platform, followed by Snapchat and Instagram. WhatsApp is the preferred messaging service among 9-12 year-olds.

The representative ZHAW survey was conducted in 2021 and 2022 with 1,000 children aged 6 to 13 and some 500 parents in the country’s three main language regions.