Parents in the UK spent an average of £450 last year on gadget for kids and these resulted in sharp increase of tablet usage among children. More than 25 percent of children under 8 in the UK now own and regularly use tablet computers. Other researches also revealed that as much as 29 percent of toddlers already use tablets or smartphones by the age of three. In fact, ten percent of children under two years old could already operate these devices.
Today, children are more likely to know their way around touch-based technology before they are out of nappies. Many parents also argue that tablets could provide fun educative lessons and exciting bedtime stories. Combined with the availability of sub-£150 tablets, it is no wonder that UK parents easily cave in to demand of their smarter and tech-savvy kids.
Experts already warned that parents should keep tabs on what kids are accessing online. It is important to layout proper ground rules and parent would risks having their account racked up by unexpected in-app purchases. Many children think that everything on tablet is “free to play”. It is advisable for parents to choose kid-oriented tablets that include rigid parental control feature.
Of all technology products, children under 16 are most likely to own a game console, according to uSwitch, with 91% of parents saying they have bought at least one for their child.
Next on the list was the basic mobile phone, with smartphones appearing much lower, in 10th position. A third of parents expect to spend more on technology products for their children in 2014 than they did last year.