The internet is an indispensable part of our lives nowadays and has in many ways surpassed any traditional outlets that we used to consume, like television, as now we prefer the likes of streaming more and more. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) concurs with that sentiment as according to the institution, young people between the ages of 15 and 21 spend more time daily using the internet than watching television, almost triple the amount to be exact.

The RTÜK's survey found that the youth spends an average of one hour 42 minutes daily, viewing television, while that average jumps nearly three times to four hours 37 minutes when it comes to daily internet usage.

The research was carried out on the transformation experienced in media tools with digitalization, the place of social media and digital platforms alongside traditional media and print media, and the significant change in watching and listening tendencies. The research focused on the use of media tools, digital literacy and screen addiction levels of young people.

The research looked at the ways that young people watch television, use the internet, spend time on social media and digital games, the devices they use, their online activities, digital skills and the content they consume.

In addition, the research aimed at measuring screen addiction and digital literacy levels revealed the differences and similarities between media usage habits and digital literacy levels among young people on the basis of demographic variables.

In the research conducted by interviewing 6,626 people in the age group living in 26 provinces of Türkiye, it was determined that 35.6% of the participants had a low level of digital literacy, while 35% had medium literacy and 29.4% had a high level of digital literacy.

It was determined that 37.1% of the participants in the study had a high level of screen addiction.

The research revealed that the children of families belonging to lower socioeconomic groups had higher digital addiction, while low digital literacy rates were also high in these groups. While the daily average time spent watching television is two hours 54 minutes in the world and four hours 33 minutes in Türkiye, that time went down to one hour 42 minutes for young people in Türkiye. In the research, 76% of the youth in the age group stated they watch television.

Back in 2018, the average watch time of television among the youth was two hours 51 minutes, the research shows a decrease of over an hour in that average in three years, which comes down to the increase of diverse and alternate choices among different media.

When it comes to radio, the rate goes down even further with only 33.8% of young people between the ages of 15 and 21 saying that they listen to the radio.

The average time spent on the internet on the hand, stands at a whopping six hours 54 minutes around the world, a figure which jumps to seven hours 57 minutes in Türkiye, but goes down to 4 hours 37 minutes among the youth in Türkiye.

The usage of digital streaming platforms meanwhile has seen a sharp rise from only 5.77% of participants saying they use them back in 2018 to 40.9% this time round.