Despite the recession, Filipino children in urban areas seem to be enjoying the good life.

More kids in the Philippines get allowances compared to children in Japan, Australia, and India, according to a recent survey conducted by the New Generations Philippines, the first fully-localized study dedicated to Filipino children sponsored by Cartoon Network.

While kids in some countries saw a slump in their weekly allowances in the past two years, Filipino children in Manila, Cebu and Davao enjoyed a 17 percent increase in their weekly income,” the survey showed.

More Filipino kids now also have access to computers and Internet than in 2007, with over 63 percent of 7- to 14-year-olds already regular Internet users, it added.

According to the survey, Filipino kids get on average P197 in weekly allowance, up from P169 in 2007, while children in Japan and Taiwan saw a 22 percent and 12 percent decrease in pocket money, respectively.

About 91 percent of Filipino kids get allowances, a huge difference compared to only 49 percent in Japan, 59 percent in Australia and 41 percent in India. The allowance partly gives Pinoy kids the combined spending power of about P42 billion annually, up 14 percent from 2005 figures.

“Pinoy parents seem to be very generous with their money. Compared with other countries, more kids in this country are given their own money,” said Duncan Morris, vice president for research and market development of Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd.

The survey also revealed a 37 percent increase in the number of kid Internet users in just two years. Almost two out of three (63 percent) have used the Internet in the past month. More than three quarters (76 percent) of Internet-using kids visit cyberspace at least weekly, and a quarter at 26 percent go online daily.

The increase may be attributed to the increase in kids’ access to computers and the Internet. Computer ownership increased by 12 percent from 2005, while Internet access also jumped from 15 percent in 2005 to 32 percent this year.

“More and more kids are becoming Internet-savvy and tech-driven. We have seen a big increase in the number of kids going online. Although more than half (55 percent) use the Internet for research and homework, a rapidly growing number use the Internet for non-academic purposes.

“The way in which kids are consuming media is rapidly changing. Where once it was all about watching TV, today’s kids can comfortably view, use, play and engage with our characters, whenever, wherever and however they wish,” said Morris.

In fact, Internet usage has become a staple in kids’ daily schedule. This year, “Using the Internet” climbed from fifth spot in 2007 to second spot in 2009 at 39 percent. It comes behind “Watching TV,” which at 95 percent remains the number one activity for Filipino kids since 2005.

“Listening to Music” was at third spot while reading a non-school book fell from second to fourth.

In terms of online activities, gaming remains the number one attraction for kids, with 78 percent of Internet-using kids playing online games within the past month. Catching up fast is online video viewing with 61 percent. Social networking sites are also gaining ground with about 45 percent of kids logging into Friendster, Facebook, and Multiply.

This year’s New Generations Philippines survey was based on in-home face-to-face interviews with 1,000 child and parent pairs from socio-economic classes A to D. The survey was conducted by Synovate in three major areas of Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao between August 25 and September 21, 2009. New Generations Philippines ensured an even sample split by gender and age ranges (7-8, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14).