Welcome to the new world of digital natives. Misty Harris from Postmedia News recently wrote an article about children entering the digital age earlier than ever. It’s a good read and one that made me take note.
She points to a couple of stats:
- According to Sesame Workshop, the non-profit behind Sesame Street, about a quarter of U.S. kids are going online daily by age three, while around half are doing so by age five.
- A 2011 survey by Parenting Magazine and BlogHer, meanwhile, finds that a third of North American Gen Y moms (18 to 27) have let their children use a laptop by age two.
Our kids are growing up true digital natives. Gone are the days of ‘let’s wait until you are older to let you use the family computer’. Nope, today, there is a new market for these kids. On every four-year-olds Christmas wish list this year is his or her own Tablet:
- Leapfrog’s new LeapPad Tablet for four to nine-year-olds that retails at $109.
- Vinci Tab for even younger kids that retails at $389 to $479.
Now that our kids are engaging in apps and going online earlier, the question I’d like to ask is: ‘What do young kids do on their computers, laptops and Tablets?’ I’m off to do some research. If you know of any good findings on this, let me know?
