(ECNS) - Children in China’s rural areas use electronic devices for 108.18 minutes a day over the weekends, more than their peers in cities, who use them for 88.40 minutes, according to a report by China National Children's Center and Social Sciences Academic Press.
The report said children usually spend 43.24 minutes a day with electronic gadgets, and that time involves 13.90 minutes for study, 16.60 minutes for watching animated cartoons or short-videos for fun, and 12.75 minutes for playing games or online chatting.
The length of children’s screen time rose to 96.27 minutes on weekends.
The report revealed that of all extra-curricular activities, students were most interested in watching videos and animated cartoons, giving them four out of five points in a preference scale.
Yuan Lixin, the director of the center, said the differences in extra-curricular activities between urban and rural areas had the potential to impact on children’s growth and needed addressing.
The report is based on a survey of 14,874 children aged three to 15 years in ten Chinese cities.
