Rise of 'split-screening': Children are watching two videos simultaneously trends now
Children as young as eight regularly watch two videos at once to feed their content needs, it has been reported, amid concerns that attention spans are diminishing.
In a study of social media habits, Ofcom has revealed that a 'split-screening' phenomenon is on the rise among children.
Youngsters were often seen to watch two videos side-by-side that were connected or complementary in some way.
But sometimes these videos were completely unlinked, with one 10-year-old seen viewing both movie clips and random 'satisfying' ASMR-style videos at the same time.
Although the child claimed that split-screening allowed them to learn and enjoy a movie simultaneously, others have raised fears over shortened attention spans.
Ofcom has revealed that 'split-screening' is on the rise among children online (file picture)
The findings come at a time when children struggle to sit through an entire film or complete a single programme episode, according to Ofcom.
Jake Moore, a Global Cyberecurity Advisor at ESET, claimed that a boost in excessive multi-tasking could worsen this lack of focus and even increase confusion.
He told MailOnline: 'Children have been growing up able to multitask better than generations before them but when presented with two videos simultaneously it could mean neither video captures their full attention and therefore it increases misunderstanding, confusion or false impressions.
'The potential dangers mean split screeners could misinterpret what has just informed them. In terms of security, this could damage the cyber awareness advice young people are so desperately in need of.'
Mr Moore believes that split-screening could also worsen the prevalence of false information on the internet if viewers are not fully focused on what information is being shared with them.
He added: 'Many people happily watch TV with their phone in their hand but this could lead to an error in judgement when people are sent scam emails and texts which aids preying cybercriminals.
'Any lack in focus or attention is exactly what criminals rely on to
