TV now second screen for kids with tablets
July 7, 2015
In a majority of US family households with tablets and smartphones, TV is no longer the kids’ first choice for entertainment, according to a study by strategic research, marketing brand consultants Miner & Co Studio.
The firm found 57 per cent of kids prefer watching video on portable devices like smartphones and tablets as opposed to on traditional television screens.
Additionally, Miner & Co.’s study found 41 per cent of children are more than willing to give up treats in exchange for more time with mobile devices. Thirty-nine per cent of the parents said their children regularly watch the same content on not just one, but multiple devices at the same time.
Mobile devices offer versatility, simple user interface and a ‘personal’ viewing experience. As such, in households where tablets and smartphones are accessible, they’ve now taken the lead with kids as the preferred way to enjoy and explore video content. TV has become the ‘second’ or even third screen for many of these kids.
Parents in nearly half of these households say that when their kids misbehave, they take away their tablet and make them ‘watch TV instead’ as punishment – creating a generation of kids for whom ‘TV is punishment’.
And, when given the choice between dessert or more time on their tablet, more kids choose the tablet.
According to Miner & Co., this trend in media and platform preferences has implications for TV networks, cable and satellite companies, streaming services and content creators as they market and develop entertainment for the next generation.