Kids getting tech savvy at ever younger ages

By Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 06 June 2007 03:38

Opinion and Analysis

A new report from NPD says the average age children start using technology fell to 6.7 years old in 2007, as kids versions of tech gear becomes more common, too.

NPD’s new report, “Kids and Consumer Electronics Trends III”, is their third report since 2005 to see how consumer electronics and children are interacting with each other.

Anita Frazier, an industry analyst at The NPD Group said that: “Kids are drawn to the latest and greatest digital devices just as their parents are. They appear to have no fear of technology and adopt it easily and without fanfare, making these devices a part of their everyday lives.”

Back in 2005, children were on average 8.1 years old before they started using technology, but in 2007 this has dropped to 6.7 years. To me, these ages seem awfully old – I personally started using computers, thanks to the foresight of my father, way back in 1979 when I was only four years old, two years before the IBM PC was released onto the world market.

A number of friends with children younger than 5 have their children interested in all kinds of technologies, using a computer, mouse, websites and more, so the ages that the NPD are reporting seem, well, to show US children are getting into technology quite late, although the figures are averages, meaning some children did indeed start at a younger age.

NPD confirms that some children with exposure to ‘televisions and desktop computers’ show the ‘youngest initial exposure’ at about 4 or 5 years of age, although the average age is 7. Kids playing with satellite radios and digital media players (like iPods and the clones) come through at about 9 years of age. 

NPD stated survey methodology seems sound. NPD say that “data was collected via an online survey to a nationally representative sample of adults ages 25 and older, with children ages 4 to 14 in the household".

The methodoly continues with: "In order to qualify, respondents’ children had to use at least one consumer electronic device measured in the study. Respondents with more than one child in the specified age range were instructed to answer for the child with the next birthday. Fieldwork was conducted from March 16 to March 22, 2007”.

Children are also owning less devices than two years ago, however the proportion of children who own digital media players, handheld games consoles, digital cameras and portable DVD players has gone up.

Unsurprisingly, NPD reports that “older devices such as film cameras and karaoke systems [show] low levels of household purchasing”, showing how unhip those devices are, replaced by digital cameras and likely the Sony PS2 game ‘Singstar’ which has taken Karaoke to the next, more enjoyable level.

A number of consumer electronics products specifically aimed at children are performing well, but naturally the ‘adult’ versions of the same kinds of tech gadgets are much more popular in terms of unit sales.

Parents have, according to NPD, shown interest in buying branded products for children, but reported interest has declined from 83% in 2006 to 74% in 2007, possibly indicating that kids want the same brand and type of technology as their parents, not some dumbed down ‘kids version’.

After all, today’s kids are clearly tech-savvier than ever, and know when they’re being sold a kiddie version that isn’t as good as their mother’s, father’s or older sibling’s gadget.

Still, it must be remembered, gadgets and tech aren’t a baby sitter, not child raiser or technological panacea, with regular trips outdoors playing with real things an invaluable part of growing up and enjoying life.

By all means, get your children to become as tech-savvy as you can, with stats clearly showing this is where it’s all heading, but ensure there’s plenty of balance to keep your kids grounded in the real world, and not stuck in the Matrix of tech gadgetry!