06-15-12 One in two kids ages 5-8 and 10% of those under age 1 use smartphones, video iPods, iPads, or other smart devices, according to Common Sense Media. Yet, while kids are increasingly using these devices, their behaviors differ depending on the actual device.
Kids ages 6-11 with access to iPod Touch devices spend twice as much time using them per day as kids with access to iPhones, according to Nickelodeon and Brunico Communications. Similarly, kids with access to iPads have three times more games on these devices, on average, than kids with access to Androids.
iPads are proving to be preferred devices for consuming entertainment. Kids also express more attachment to iPads than they do for the other devices. Kids, for example, are more likely to say an iPad makes them feel older than to say an iPhone makes them feel that way. Also, eight in 10 kids watch TV show clips via iPad compared to 50% who watch clips on the iPod Touch. Similarly, 70% watch entire TV shows on the iPad, compared to 40% who do so on the iPod Touch.
At the same time, kids do share similar characteristics depending on their ages. Those ages 6-7, for instance, prefer to communicate via old-fashioned calling, whereas those ages 8-9 prefer to text. Those ages 10-11 rely on video chatting channels, such as Skype or FaceTime.
While all kids use apps, their preferred genres also differ depending on age. Those ages 6-7 enjoy “cupcake maker” and “fart” apps, while those ages 8-9 prefer “dress up” and “moron test.”
Children also use these devices for mischief. Younger children primarily take an older sibling’s or parent’s device without permission, while those ages 8-9 use them to play games instead of reading before bed, and those ages 10-11 text friends after their bedtimes.
Sources: Common Sense Media, Colby Zinti, 650 Townsend St., 4th Fl., San Francisco, CA 94103; 415-553-6753; www.commonsense.org.
iKids, Brunico Communications, Jocelyn Christie, Publisher, 366 Adelaide St. W, #500, Toronto, ON Canada M5V 1R9; 416-408-2300; jchristie@brunico.com; www.kidscreen.com.
Nickelodeon, Jane Gould, SVP Consumer Insights, 1515 Broadway, 44th Fl., New York, NY 10036; 212-258-7500, x7209; www.nick.com.
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