A report issued by the NPD Group indicates that children are using electronic devices, including game systems, at younger ages.
According to the report, children begin using electronic devices at an average age of 6.7 years, compared with 8.1 years in 2005. Most common among these devices are portable game consoles, owned by 39 percent of those surveyed. 29 percent reported owning standard console systems. Televisions and desktop PCs were the most common sources of earliest exposure to electronic, starting at around 4 years of age.
“Kids are drawn to the latest and greatest digital devices just as their parents are,” said NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier. “They appear to have no fear of technology and adopt it easily and without fanfare, making these devices a part of their everyday lives.”
Most types of hardware appeared to be in use by children at increasingly younger ages. The NPD report stated that since 2005, “virtually all of the electronic devices register a decline in average age that the initial use occurs.” However, despite the decline in average age, the actual number of electronic devices owned by children had decreased from 2005, according to the report.
