7% of children under 8 own their own tablet. Is a touchscreen a toy? The Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America study.
Leading children’s media research firm The Michael Cohen Group (MCG) presented the results of a diverse U.S. survey of parents at the Digital Kids Conference at Toy Fair 2014 in New York, NY. The study polled 350 parents of children 12 and under
Touch-screen devices were played with more often than any other toy, including game consoles, according to a new study by leading children’s media research firm The Michael Cohen Group (MCG). The results of the survey of parents were presented at the Digital Kids Conference at Toy Fair 2014 in New York.
Only 10% of parents believe that touchscreens were “always” toys. The majority (58%) believed they were “sometimes” toys and 32% believed they were “never” toys.
Interestingly, the most popular type of touchscreen gaming reported by parents was educational (53% either “very often” or “often”), followed by music (50% either “very often” or “often”), and free play (49% either “very often” or “often”). As the number of families with touchscreens increase among families, so does ownership among children.
The Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America study, conducted by Common Sense Media, found 7% of children under 8 own their own tablet. Recent research by MCG suggests that more than 32% of children in families with at least one touch screen own their own device.
What does this mean for the future of the toy industry and its integration with touchscreen technology? How do parent’s perceptions of touchscreens as educational influence their children’s screen time, play patterns, and ownership?
Since the introduction of the iPad, The Michael Cohen Group has been researching how these devices are impacting children’s play and learning. Here are some of the findings. Watch the video.
