‘Square eyes’ warning for UK pensioners as they watch 7x more TV than young folk

Posted on : August 17, 2022

British pensioners and over-65s watch seven times more TV than youngsters—and are spending a third of their day with their eyes glued to the box.

According to Ofcom, over-65s watch around six hours of broadcast television per day compared to 16-24 year olds, who watch it for a mere 53 minutes.

This isn't because youngsters have less screentime every day though. It's because they prefer to tune into TikTok, streaming platforms, YouTube, and smartphones.

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In fact, nine out of ten 18-24 year-olds in Britain will skip TV channels in favour of their gadgets, compared to 56% of 55-64 year olds who would pick TV instead.

This doesn't mean that broadcast TV is dead. While live broadcast TV fell by 9% compared to 2020, live broadcasts of major national events still proved a massive draw for people of all ages.

Ofcom's director of market intelligence, Ian Macrae, said broadcast TV "is still the place to go for big events that bring the nation together."

For example, the Euro 2022 finals attracted 11.2 million viewers, while 13.2 million tuned in for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee this year alone.

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Watching too much TV over the age of 50 could be a massive health risk.

A study led by Dr Daisy Fancourt at University College London found that those over-50s who watch more than three-and-a-half hours per day of TV are at a greater risk of memory loss as it could trigger 'cognitive stress'.

Dr Fancourt told the Mail Online: "Watching television may have educational benefits from watching documentaries and relaxation benefits as a way of reducing stress.

"But overall this suggests adults over the age of 50 should try and ensure television viewing is balanced with other contrasting activities."

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