Video game console ownership in the UK has dropped from 90 per cent in 2012 to 87 per cent in 2013, according to the Children and Parents Media Use and Attitudes Report published by regulatory body Ofcom.
The report, which measures fixed hardware and portable hardware, states that 66 per cent of children aged 3-4 have a games console at home.
This figure increases to 78 per cent for children in the 5-7 age bracket and 78 per cent for those in the 8-11 year bracket.
"Children aged 5-15 are now less likely to have a games console / player in their bedroom (47% vs. 56%)," reads the report. "This reflects a decline in the use of fixed and handheld games players (81% vs. 86%) compared to a threefold increase among 5-15s in using tablet computers to play games (23% vs. 7%).
"Close to nine in ten children (87%) live in a household with a fixed or portable games console, a decrease since 2012 (from 90%); this is the first time that household games console ownership has declined in this survey. The decrease in household ownership is evident for 5-7s (78% vs. 86%) and DE households (84% vs. 90%)."
The report adds: "Within this overall figure, the decline since 2012 is evident for ownership of a handheld/ portable games player (68% vs. 75%) rather than for a games console connected to a TV set."
The report notes that boys aged 5-15 are still more likely than girls to live in households with a games console, particularly those in the 8-11 age bracket (94% vs. 87%).
