A Roy Morgan Research poll has revealed children aged six to 13 in the region spent more than three hours less each week watching television in 2008 than they did in 2005.

Hours in front of the box dropped from 16.7 per week to 13.3, compared to the national decrease of one hour to 14.6 hours a week.

Time was made up in other areas including sport, with Hunter children getting active for an average five hours each week in 2008.

It was an increase of 4.6 hours since 2005, which was equal to the national average.

"While much has been made of the fact that children today are less active and more TV focussed than they used to be, research proves that this is not the case," Roy Morgan industry communications director Norman Morris said.

Good For Kids Good For Life program manager Lucy Cogan said the results proved the Hunter children's health program was making a difference in educating children to turn off the television.

But with the poll revealing Hunter kids had spent almost double the amount of time on the internet in 2008 as they did in 2005, Ms Cogan said there was still a way to go in getting children active.

"Kids shouldn't be spending any more than two hours a day in a small screen situation, which includes television, internet and computer games. The more we reduce this the more time kids have to be active," she said.

"It doesn't have to be organised sport, kids can be active at home, dancing, playing in the backyard, helping mum and dad with the chores it all adds up."

Mr Morris said the increase in children on the internet related to a drop in time spent talking and playing with friends, which went from 11.3 hours to 10.2 hours in the Hunter.

"There has been an overlapin communication where kids spend time online talking to friends," he said.