Are Tablet-Toting Kids Playing Outside This Summer?

Summer is in full swing, and many parents are likely telling their kids to get up and go play outside. But as tablet ownership increases, could this be hurting children’s outdoor activities—or their time with traditional toys in general? Based on data released in June 2014 by The NPD Group, the majority of parents don’t think so.

The study found that tablet ownership in households with children ages 2 to 12 rose from 50% in 2013 to 59% in 2014. The portion of kids actually using these devices had also increased over the past year, growing from 38% to 48%, according to parents. Despite this, two-thirds of parents didn’t think that their children’s time spent with traditional toys was decreasing due to rising ownership and usage levels. Research published in June 2014 by Ipsos MediaCT also showed impressive growth in tablet ownership among US households with children, or children themselves, with the percentage rising from 58% in 2013 to 74% this year.

The higher penetration rate is likely due to the exclusion of children younger than 6, whose parents were most likely to limit technology usage, according to The NPD Group. eMarketer estimates that this year, the number of US consumers ages 0 to 11 who use a tablet at least monthly will grow 14.8% to 13.8 million, representing 27.9% of the age group. These lower figures are likely due to the inclusion of 0- to 1-year-olds, for whom tablet usage is on the low end, and the exclusion of 12-year-olds—whose household ownership levels were the same for technology and traditional toys, according to The NPD Group.

When’s the last time you replaced your mobile device? Over half of smartphone and tablet owners are toting devices purchased within the past year, based on March 2014 survey results from B2X Care Solutions and Motorola. According to the study, 57% of respondents who owned a smartphone had purchased it within the past year, and 55% of tablet users said the same. Mobile contracts often last two years, but results indicated that consumers didn’t always wait for these to end before switching to the latest trendy device. Nearly half of smartphone owners typically replaced their phones within two years of ownership, though it’s likely that many of that group made the switch on the later end of that range, when their contracts were indeed over. Just 5% held onto their smartphone or tablet for longer. Similarly, three in 10 tablet owners typically used their tablets for two years or less before replacing or upgrading them, with just 5% keeping them for a longer duration. Overall, the study found that nearly half of respondents swapped out their mobile devices within two years of ownership. This relatively short timeframe makes sense when one considers that US smartphone and tablet owners said buying a technically advanced model was the most important factor when purchasing a new device. eMarketer expects the number of US smartphone users to grow 13.5% this year to reach 163.9 million consumers, representing 51.4% of the population. The tablet audience will also be impressive, rising 11.3% in 2014 to 147.2 million users, or 46.2% of all people in the country. – See more at: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Owners-Ditch-Mobile-Devices-Before-Terrible-Twos/1010979/1#sthash.inNAiDXm.dpuf