In Colombia, children no longer expect to be told stories: they look for them on YouTube, imitate them on TikTok and comment on them on WhatsApp.
A recent study by the Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) reveals that minors are increasingly consuming audiovisual content individually, mobile and digitally, without sufficient adult accompaniment.
Between technological gaps, scarce parental mediation and a still incipient media literacy, a hyperconnected generation is drawn, unequally equipped and, many times, alone in front of the screen.
A digital and dispersed generation
By: Gabriel E. levy B.
In mid-2024, the CRC undertook a pioneering study in Colombia to map the digital world of children.
It was a robust and meticulous effort: 2,610 surveys applied in homes and educational centers, covering a representative population of children between 3 and 17 years of age, parents, caregivers and teachers. The goal? Understand what Colombian children consume, how they do it, with whom they do it and what consequences this interaction brings.
The study didn’t just describe devices or platforms.
She also investigated perception, appropriation, content production and parental mediation, drawing a detailed portrait of Colombian childhood in front of screens.
From the Amazon to the Caribbean, from stratum 1 to 6, the report reveals a complex and unequal constellation of media practices that, although they have much in common, also show deep gaps.
“Children are great imitators. That’s why you have to give them great things to imitate.” – Joyce Brothers
“Mediated childhood: from the television to the personal screen”
The report makes it clear that electronic devices are no longer objects of shared use.
61% of children and adolescents in Colombia have their own cell phone. In the 14 to 17 age group, this figure rises to 81%. Consumption is becoming more and more individual, although with variations according to age, gender and socioeconomic status.
In stratum 6, 100% of households have Smart TVs, and 81% have a personal computer.
In contrast, in stratum 1, only 81% have a smart TV, only 21% own a computer and only 7% have a video game console.
The digital divide is not only one of access, but also of cultural possibilities and critical literacy.
Consumption is no longer limited to television. YouTube and TikTok are consolidating themselves as the dominant platforms.
The first, preferred by children under 10 years of age; the second, by adolescents. While children aged 6 to 9 dedicate 43% of their audiovisual time to movies, pre-adolescents prefer series (19%) and video games (40%).
What impresses is not only the what, but the how. 83% of children perform other activities while watching television: eating, doing homework, chatting or even recording videos for networks.
This “audiovisual multitasking” defines a new type of dispersed and simultaneous attention, where seeing is no longer being present, but coexisting.
“Miniature Prosumers: When Watching Is No Longer Enough”
The study also reveals an active childhood, in which many children not only consume content, but also produce and transform it.
56% of teens researched topics they saw on TV. 52% of children aged 6 to 9 say they do things they see on the screen “because they think it’s okay and they like it”.
Some even ask to be bought objects seen in commercials.
The impact of advertising is so profound that a significant percentage remember gambling ads, even though they are aimed at older audiences.
This shows, as the philosopher Guy Debord would say, that we not only live in a society of the spectacle, but that the spectacle lives in childhood.
The role of parents is ambivalent. While many accompany their children in front of the screen (77% on weekends), that company shrinks as children get older.
In addition, the use of parental control tools is low: only 14% on social networks, for example. This reinforces what the pedagogue Sonia Livingstone warns: parental mediation is indispensable, but it is often absent, misinformed or outdated in the face of digital speed.
“One country, many childhoods: disparities and challenges”
The figures of the study reveal not one Colombian childhood, but multiple.
In rural areas, such as the indigenous Caribbean region, local television consumption is 29%. In Bogotá, barely 10%. In regions such as Valle del Cauca, children have up to 3.1 devices per person.
In the Amazon, barely 2.0. These differences reflect not only material inequality, but also gaps in the possibility of accessing educational, creative or simply entertaining content.
In addition, media practices intersect with gender. Boys have an 87% preference for video game consoles, while girls are more inclined to use tablets (60%).
The frequency also varies: 26% of men play video games every day, compared to 16% of women.
This difference is not accidental: it responds to cultural patterns that reinforce certain practices as masculine or feminine.
Solitary consumption is also determined by stratum and region.
In stratum 1, only 22% watch audiovisual content alone, while in stratum 4, this number rises to 26%. In regions such as Opita or Paisa, more than 70% of minors consume content unaccompanied.
Autonomy, then, is not only a matter of age, but also of environment.
Prosumers from a young age
The CRC study gives a glimpse of how Colombian children and adolescents are immersed in a digital ecosystem where they also produce content.
56% of adolescents investigate topics they see on television or networks on their own, and a growing percentage share photos, videos or messages through social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.
On platforms like TikTok, children are already making inroads as content creators, raising questions about exposure, privacy, and ethical guidance.
However, this active participation occurs in an environment where privacy management is still weak: only 61% report using some type of protection measure on their accounts.
The adult presence, although well-intentioned, is scattered.
The use of parental control tools on social networks does not exceed 14%, and in video games it is 22%.
In a country where more than 70% of parents admit that their children consume content mainly on the internet, the lack of protection is alarming.
Media literacy is still a pending issue.
Digital childhood in Colombia not only consumes: it also creates, shares, exposes itself and learns, but almost always without guidance.
In conclusion
The CRC study allows us to clearly see a silent but radical transformation: Colombian children no longer live in a television world, but in a digital ecosystem, dispersed, personalized and often lonely. Screens not only entertain, they also educate, socialize and shape attitudes. And while children are shown to be active agents, access gaps, lack of mediation and weak media literacy remain urgent challenges. The digital revolution in childhood has already happened. What is missing is for adults to catch up.
References:
- Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. NYU Press, 2006.
- Livingstone, Sonia. Children and the Internet: Great Expectations, Challenging Realities. Polity Press, 2009.
- Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC). Study of Childhood and Audiovisual Media. Consumption, Parental Mediation and Appropriation – 2024.
