electronics

Kids' Smartphone, Tablet Usage Increasing

The use of advanced technology in kids’ lives is growing, as even more families with kids have more smartphones and tablets than ever before.

According to a new report from The NPD Group, 71% of households in 2014 with a child between the ages of 4 and 14 own a smartphone, compared with 55% of household ownership in 2012. Ownership of tablets, meanwhile, doubled in the same period, growing from 21% in 2012 to 32% in 2014.

Among those families with kids, 35% said their child uses a smartphone (up from 21% in 2012) and 31% use tablets, up from 13% in 2012. 

This does not mean, however, that more kids own smartphones or tablets. The ownership of cell phones (including smartphones and traditional cell phones) held steady at 19%. 

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Pricing topped the list of reasons why consumers bought a consumer electronic device from any retailer (and was of particular importance for those shopping at mass merchant stores). Sales support and services became increasingly important among shoppers at specialty retailers. 

“Technology devices are as much staples for American families as traditional toys, perhaps more so considering their ability to engage with almost any member of the family,” said Juli Lennett, president of The NPD Group’s toys division, in a statement. “Marketing smartphones and tablets for family use, rather than the traditional primary user, and offering pricing and payment options to meet the needs of families, will engage this audience even further.”

Last week, advertising consultancy Communicus released its own research bowing that one third of pre-kindergarten age children in the United States have a tablet specifically used by them, and 18% ask their parents for smartphones. Apple is the preferred brand among the school-age set, with more than half of tweens and teens and 43% of pre-K kids specifically asking for iPhones.

1 comment about "Kids' Smartphone, Tablet Usage Increasing".
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  1. Nicole Baron Dietrich from Arizona State, September 22, 2014 at 8:01 p.m.

    It does not surprise me that the number of children using smart phones and tablets is progressively increasing each year. With the amount of technology options out there, it would be surprising if there were not an increase. But, this can bring up the debate of whether or not smart phones should be given to kids at all. Some argue that it turns children into phone-obsessed monsters. This applies to many ages too because I’ve seen 18-month-olds beg for their mother’s phones, and I have also witnessed teenagers wearing headphones and tuning their parents out via their smart phone or tablet. Regardless of the negatives, I believe the use of smartphones and tablets early on in a child’s life will help them to become technologically advanced and more knowledgeable in general. Living in this day and age, we must realize the importance of staying up to date on technology. If you don’t, then you risk falling behind because schools and many work environments require you to have advanced technological abilities. As the article states, “marketing smartphones and tablets for family use, rather than the traditional primary user, and offering pricing and payment options to meet the needs of families, will engage this audience even further.” There is a whole new sector of marketing emerging for smart phones and tablets and it is for young children. They now have an ad for the Nabi Kid’s Tablet, which has been aired on major television networks. Could this be going too far? Or is this helping children stay up to date with the current times?

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