Smartphone use seems to be increasing among children, revealing how technology plays a huge role in this generation's lives.
The average age for getting their first device is 10.3 years old, according to a new report from market research firm Influence Central.
The new data is part of an ongoing study surveying 500 women in the United States and their buying habits.
The women were asked 70 questions about what they bought, as well as the age of their children when they first received their first smartphone or cell phone.
Other key findings from Influence Central's 2016 Digital Trends study include:
- Tablets have surged from 26 percent to 55 percent usage as kids' device of choice during car rides. Smartphones trail at 45 percent (up from 39 percent in 2012).
- Sixty-four percent of kids have access to the Internet via their own laptop or tablet, compared with just 42 percent in 2012.
- Thirty-nine percent of kids get a social media account at 11.4 years. Eleven percent got a social media account when they were younger than 10.
- While 85 percent accessed the Internet from a room shared with the family in 2012, that number dropped to 76 percent today, and 24 percent now have "private" access from their bedrooms (compared with 15 percent in 2012.)
If you want to know why the survey only consisted of only female participants, Influence Central founder and CEO Stacy DeBroff explained to TechCrunch that the study was to remain consistent from a followup to a 2012 report that surveyed only women.
An example of a question used in the survey was, "If you purchased a smartphone/cell phone for your child, what age was the child?"
Children owning smartphones at a younger age has resulted in the decline of popularity of portable video game consoles. According to the report, Nintendo handhelds landed in fourth place, with kids choosing tablets, phones and DVDs for entertainment instead. Meanwhile, 24 percent of kids play with Nintendo devices during trips.
The report follows similar research conducted last year in the UK, in which just 28 percent of children age five to 15 played portable video game consoles regularly, Gamasutra reported.
The new report is titled "Kids & Tech: The Evolution of Today's Digital Natives," and has yet to be released by Influence Central.
