Kids and Technology - The Evolution of Today's Digital Natives.

Student: John Stone Date: September 12, 2018 Kids and Technology The Evolution of Today's Digital Natives As soon as practice is over, tweens pull out their phones on the soccer field, and kids text or use social apps to connect with their friends instead of talking on the phone. New results from Influence Central's 2016 Digital Trends Study, which updates a 2012 study on digital usage, show how important technology has become in the lives of today's kids, how they get their own devices at younger ages, and how they enjoy more freedom and privacy online. MORE AND MORE KIDS ATTACHED TO THEIR SMARTPHONES As with their parents, kids have jumped on the phone bandwagon. The average age for getting a first phone is now 10.3 years old. Young people mostly text on their phones, and 31% of parents polled said their kids have texted them while they're in the same house. PARENTS WILL USE GPS TRACKING TWICE AS MUCH Even though not many parents have used their smartphones' GPS to find their kids, the number of parents who did so doubled from 7% in 2012 to 15% in 2016. SMART KIDS USE GADGETS WHILE THEY'RE ON THE GO It's no longer just iPads and tablets that kids use to pass the time on long car rides; phones have moved up the list of devices they look to for entertainment. Tablets are now used for this purpose more than ever, with use rising from 26% to 55%. Phones are in second place with 45%, up from 39% in 2012, and DVDs are now in third place in the car with 35%, down from 48% in 2012. The once-popular Nintendo DS is now only the fourth choice, with 24% of the vote. Four years ago, it was the top choice with 40%. KIDS AMP UP ONLINE USE – GETTING ACCESS AND POWER According to the 2016 survey, parents are less strict about where and when their kids can use technology and electronics. The percentage of parents who do this has dropped from 49% to 41% over four years, while the percentage of parents who do set "some" limits has gone up from 44% to 50%. Still, parents are a little more careful about what their kids can see and do online. Compared to four years ago, 23% of parents now use online programs to control and filter sites or platforms. With this slightly less strict approach, kids now have a lot more freedom and access to the Internet than they did four years ago, on all of their electronic devices. In 2012, 85% of people who used the Internet did so from a room that was shared with the family. Today, that number is only 76%, and 24% have "private" access from their bedrooms, up from 15% in 2012. In 2012, only 42% of kids had access to the Internet through their own laptop or tablet. This year, 64% of kids do. In 2012, 70% of kids did so through a shared family computer in a public place. This year, only 54% do so. Also, 38% connect to the Internet on their phone, up from 19% in 2012, and 26% connect through a gaming console, up from 19% in 2012. TAKE A BREAK! Since our last survey, the number of parents who limit their kids' phone use (texting, social media, apps, and time) has gone up from 14% to 34%. SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ARE HELD BY HALF OF ALL KIDS BY AGE 12 Kids today are also hooked on social media; on average, they get their first account when they are 11.4 years old. The majority of kids (39% of them) set up their first account between the ages of 10 and 12, but 11% set up their account before they turned 10. 77% of kids use both Facebook and Instagram, making them the most popular social networks among kids. But Twitter keeps going up, now having 49% of kids and Snapchat, which just came out, has 47%. There aren't many other social media sites that kids are aware of. HOW TO DO IT Influence Central sent an in-depth online survey to 500 women in late January and early February 2016 about how digital technology and electronic devices affect families today. We wanted to know how women and their families use technology these days, how many devices they have, and if their tech use has grown over time. What effect has it had on the family as a whole? The Consumer Insights Group at Influence Central designed, programmed, and looked at the online survey. This study added to and expanded on Influence Central's 2012 Digital Trends Research Study, which polled about 1,000 women in January 2012 and looked at trends over time.