Parents fork out £659 million on back-to-school gadgets for their kids

As September approaches, it’s not just new school uniforms that parents are splashing out on. More than a quarter (26%) of mums and dads plan to spend a staggering £659 million – an average of £329 per family – on gadgets for their children as the new term approaches, according to new research from uSwitch.com.

Forget pens and pencils, the average school backpack now contains £130 worth of technology. Almost half (48%) of all school children now take mobile phones to school - 26% own smartphones, while 22% own feature phones and almost one in 10 (8%) carry tablets to school on a regular basis.

Almost half (49%) of children now take at least one gadget to school.However, almost one in 10 (9%) of children have had gadgets stolen at school, while around one in seven (14%) have been victims of bullying over technology. Of these, more than half (58%) were subjected to taunts about the brand of gadgets they were using.

Technology is changing the way children study, with more than a quarter (27%) of all lesson work and a third (33%) of homework now being typed rather than handwritten. A quarter (25%) of schoolchildren now submit their homework by email or via an online system set up by their schools. Interestingly, more kids now do their homework on tablets (24%) than desktop computers (20%). Another 11% even use smartphones, although the majority (38%) use laptops.

Although most parents (82%) say technology is an essential part of their children’s lives, more than four in 10 (43%) are concerned that they won’t be able to help their kids with their homework because they lack the technological nous.

And, despite the vast majority (80%) of parents agreeing technology gives their kids an educational advantage, they do have concerns about the impact this will have on other abilities. Two thirds (66%) are worried about their kids’ reliance on spellcheck, 61% on its effect on their handwritingand 60% on its impact on their mental arithmetic skills.

The average age for a child to receive their first mobile is 9 years and 10 months. Although the majority of parents (82%) who have bought handsets for their children do so for safety reasons, almost four in ten (38%) cited recreational reasons, while almost a quarter (24%) buy their kids mobiles for educational purposes too. The average age British kids receive their first tablet is even younger - at just 8 years and 7 months. Three quarters (75%) of parents who’ve bought these do so for educational purposes, while a similar number (73%) purchase them for recreational reasons too.

While almost two thirds (63%) of parents restrict the time their children spend using gadgets, eight in 10 (80%) agree that technology has made their lives easier as it keeps their kids entertained. Seven in ten (70%) parents say they have used technology – not including TVs – to keep their children quiet. Parents start distracting their kids with smartphones or tablets aged 5 years and 8 months - although more than a fifth (22%) are two years old or younger.

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, says: “Kids today are learning to use gadgets even before they can walk, and parents are investing heavily in the latest tech for school too - the new term has sparked a flurry of gadget purchases.

“Slates were commonplace in schools, and it appears we’ve gone full circle, only the slates of today are touchscreen with quad-core processors and millions of apps.

“Although gadgets are great educational tools, it’s important to monitor your child’s usage to ensure they are safe online - as well as actually doing their homework.

“The connected classroom might be making it a necessity for the younger generation to have access to learning aids on their shiny new tablets, but it is important for parents to remain engaged and involved, and make sure the apps they are installing are as educational as they are entertaining.”