21 hours ago
Kiwi kids' CensusAtSchool survey: Sushi tops, TikTok rules, ‘sigma' is trending
Anne Patel, co-director and a University of Auckland professional teaching fellow, said the initiative also taught students 'real skills with real impact' by training them in data literacy to deliver insights into their own lives.
Kiwi kids love sushi, with 15.2% naming it their favourite food in a survey. Photo / Getty Images
Habits
The shifting slang of Kiwi kids reflects the fast-changing nature of online culture.
When asked which word was trending, 14.4% of students chose 'sigma', a term taken from the 'manosphere' that describes an independent, self-assured male.
It was followed by 'skibidi', a word recently added to the Cambridge Dictionary despite having no set definition, and then 'slay' and 'huzz'.
Words like 'rizz' and 'bro' have retained their cultural weight well into 2025.
Technology use climbs steadily with age. Year 3 students averaged one hour and 25 minutes a day, which doubled by Year 7.
By Year 13, girls reported four hours and six minutes of daily screen time, while boys averaged 30 minutes less.
CensusAtSchool results show kids' technology use climbs steadily with age. Photo / 123rf
Some 61.5% of students said they had used a device in bed the night before. Among Year 13 girls, that figure was nearly 90%.
Sleep satisfaction declined alongside increasing technology usage.
About 70% of primary school students reported getting enough sleep, compared with 42% of Year 13 students.
Interests
Half of all students said they could play at least one musical instrument, most often piano or guitar.
There were 17.5% who said they could play two, while 7.3% could play three or more.
Pets were the norm, with 72% of students living with at least one animal in their household.
Some 72% of Kiwi kids reported having at least one pet in their household. Photo / 123rf
Dogs (66%) and cats (62%) were most common, and it was typical to see multiple pets reported across households.
Fish, birds and rabbits rounded out the top five.
Ideals
Japan was the most popular dream holiday destination for students (12.7%), followed by Greece, Hawaii and Fiji.
Becoming a lawyer was the career ambition that most frequently appeared (3.8%), ahead of doctor, vet and teacher.
Engineer, police officer and pilot also made the top 10.
Favourites
Food preferences were varied, although the results encapsulated Kiwi students' global tastes.
Sushi topped the list of favourite foods (15.2%), followed by pizza (9.7%) and chicken (8.6%). Pasta, burgers and noodles also ranked highly.
Among high school students, TikTok (60.5%) narrowly beat Snapchat (59.8%) and Instagram (55.9%) for the app with the most frequent daily use.
Over a week, YouTube was the most widely used platform (79.5%), followed by Snapchat (70.5%) and Instagram (68.6%).
Some 38.5% of high schoolers also reported using ChatGPT – this was the first year the CensusAtSchool survey included questions about AI use.
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