'Watch Without Mother' - Two Million Kids Set To Nuke Away Their Half-Term Playing Computer Games

Over two million British kids are most likely to spend their free time time playing computer games according to a new survey commissioned by make-believer, the toy manufacturer which brings the virtual world and the creative world together.

With the half-term break about to start, the survey, conducted for make-believer by MORI, showed that a fifth of the country's parents with kids under 16 believe that playing computer games is one of their kids' favourite pastimes. Furthermore, one in ten parents feel that their children tend to spend as much time as possible playing on the computer. The research also showed that nearly half of Britain's kids are couch-potatoes, with watching the TV and videos as one of their top free-time activities.

Only a third of parents believe playing outdoors is one of their kids' favourite pastimes, and with the winter nights setting in opportunities for this will decrease. Only 16 percent of kids are very likely take part in sports or clubs in their spare time.

Frank Nicholson, chairman of make-believer, said: "While over half of the parents surveyed said that the educational value of a toy is an important criterion when buying, this doesn't appear to be translating itself into the activities that their children do."

"For children to develop their capabilities it is important that they learn while being entertained. Computer games and children go hand-in-hand, but 'shoot'em and nuke'em' screen games do not challenge their intellect, creativity or interpersonal skills.

"Computer skills are a vital asset for children to have, but the popularity of games has led to quality family time being put on the back-burner, as children typically spend their time with friends, or by themselves, playing the latest computer games or slouched in front of the TV."

The results also show that only 15 percent of parents believe their kids do schoolwork as a priority in their spare time, and over a third of parents do not spend any time helping their kids with it.

The good news is that just over half of parents (56%) feel they spend 'a great deal of quality time with my children', but nearly a third (31%) believe 'my work commitments interfere with the amount of time I spend with my children.'

Issued by Kelso Consulting on behalf of make-believer Ltd

Technical details

What is make-believer? make-believer is a new kind of toy company, bringing together the advantages and attractions of computer and internet based entertainment for children with traditional 'make and do' play. make-believer's vision is to bridge the gap between the virtual world and the real world of physically constructing things and playing with them. www.make-believer.com

Research was conducted on the MORI Omnibus between 4-9 October 2001, 646 face-to-face interviews using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interview) with parents; questions were asked of their child's spare time. Data is weighted to the national profile population. Questions are based on parents with children aged 15 and under.