Kids below five years are engaged with mobile apps for more than 15 hours a week, reveals a study
Do you keep a tab of how many hours you let your little one fiddle with your smartphonesIJ A recently conducted survey by Pulp Strategy revealed that kids between the age group of 0-5 years are using mobile apps for a shocking 18-20 hours weekly. While 23 per cent of the respondents accessed learning apps, a staggering 77 per cent used gaming apps. The study also found that younger children are embracing smart devices for entertainment purposes.
By the age of eight, 97 per cent of children were found to have used a smartphone, tablet or a similar device. Children are using these gadgets for longer periods of time, reveals the study. Young children can master the largely intuitive touch screens well before they read and that explains how easily they are hooked to smart devices.
At some level parents are also responsible for such figures. While 97 per cent of parents reported having at least one smart device, 35 per cent were found to possess more than one. A further probe reveals that 55 per cent parents had smartphones (iPhone or android) followed by seven per cent of parents who had a tablet. Only three per cent parents were found without a smartphone.
It was also found that 88 per cent of parents let their kids use their smart devices and 12 per cent said that their kids had their own gadgets. Parents too don’t mind letting their kids use smart devices for considerable periods of time to keep them busy. “Companies had not created smartphones and tablets for kids but the access to instant play, learning opportunity and potentially quiet time for the parent, all contributed towards creating this secondary user — children, who have seeded an app-revolution of sorts,” says Ambika Sharma, MD, Pulp Strategy Communications.