You may already know this — but young kids are spending more time in front of the TV than ever before, according to the latest research.

Children ages 2-5 are now watching TV about 32 hours a week on average.

And their older siblings aren’t much better. Kids 6-11 are watching about 28 hours a week.

Why less?

Because “they are more likely to be attending school for longer hours,” says the report by Nielsen.

The latest figures are the highest they’ve been since 2001, the TV ratings company says.

And don’t blame the kids either, says Nielsen.

It’s all part of a general pattern that has people of all ages watching more TV these days.

TV viewing had been leveling off as people spent more time on the Internet and playing video games.

But the latest figures show that we’re going back to watching TV for longer periods of time.