70% Spend Three Hours A Day in Front of a Screen

Evidence of the role of technology in the lives of Australians has revealed that 70% of the population admit to spending at least three hours at home every day in front of some kind of screen.
According to a survey of 500 people done by Pure Profile Research for NRMA Insurance, the average household now has nine screens, including televisions, computers, PDAs, MP3 players and mobile phones. For nearly half of all homes, that includes three or more TVs.
Canon's latest Consumer Digital Lifestyle Index reported sales of digital lifestyle products grew 8.4% in Australia in the six months to June this year.
JB Hi-Fi posted record profits of $94.4 million this year. LCD TVs, games consoles, digital still cameras and digital media players were the biggest contributors to sales increases while spending on plasma TVs and DVD recorders was down.
NRMA Insurance spokesman Frank Adler said most households denied their screen time was impacting on family interactions but it was now "normal" for family members to be using different forms of technology at the same time.
Adler stated "a lot of households will find it's common for a TV, laptop, mobile phone and MP3 player to be used at the same time in the same house - even in the same room."