More Australian children like dancing, martial arts: survey

CANBERRA -- More Australian children who attend cultural and leisure activities are engaging in dancing and martial arts, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Friday.

The Children's Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities survey by ABS conducted every 3 years, providing information about the participation of children aged 5 to 14 years in cultural, sporting and other leisure activities, information on children's use of the Internet is also presented.

According to the survey, between 2003 and 2012, children's participation has increased by 27 percent for dancing and 24 percent for martial arts.

Since 2003, swimming and diving have remained the most popular sports for younger Australians. The survey showed that 25 percent of 5-8 year olds and 18 percent of 9-11 year olds participated in swimming and diving in 2012.

For children aged 12-14, outdoor soccer, netball and dancing were the most popular sports in 2012, with participation rates of 13 percent for outdoor soccer and 11 percent for both netball and dancing.

Children are spending less time watching TV than they did a decade ago, with an average of 15 hours per week spent in front of the box in 2012 compared to 22 hours per week in 2003. But the proportion of children accessing the Internet increased from 64 percent in 2003 to 90 pe cent in 2012.