Techy tots - Britain raising a nation of gadget addicts
Britain is raising a nation of technology addicts, according to research from uSwitch.com. The average child spends over two hours a day playing with gadgets and parents are shelling out hundreds of pounds feeding the addiction.
This taste for technology means that 87% of children will receive a gadget this Christmas from their parents, who will fork out an average of £108 on each child. 12% of parents will splash out over £250 on gadgets for their child while the luckiest kids are nine year olds - one in five will receive over £250 worth of gadgets this Christmas.
These expensive Christmas presents are on top of the £146 spent by parents on technology for their children during the rest of the year. A quarter (23%) of 12 year olds will receive over £350 worth of gadgets as they try to keep up with the latest technology throughout the year.
Ownership of all of these gadgets means that kids are spending more time than ever plugged into an electronic world, with the average child spending two hours a day on their gadgets. Older children are spending even longer, with the average 15 year old spending over 20 hours a week and more than one in ten spending over five hours a day plugged in.
Even under 2's aren't even immune, spending over 11 hours each week plugged into technology. The amount of time spent listening to music, playing games, surfing the internet and watching television is taken to extremes by some, with a quarter (24%) of fifteen year olds spending more than 28 hours a week on these pastimes.
The uSwitch.com research also reveals exactly what technology children will be waking up to on Christmas day. Gaming devices are the most popular Christmas presents for children this year, followed closely by the mobile phone, laptop, digital camera and iPod.
Technology is still very much being used by children for entertainment rather than educational purposes. 56% of all children under sixteen have a gaming device, but only 1% of all children under sixteen have an E-Book reader. Tablet computers are also unrepresented, although not unpopular with children - recent research from uSwitch.com showed that 21% of parents have been asked for a tablet by their children, but just 3% of parents intend to wrap one up this Christmas.
Ernest Doku, mobiles expert at uSwitch.com, says: "There's no doubt that British kids are switched on to technology, and that the next generation are growing up as digital natives. The sheer amount of time that children spend playing with technology, whether listening to music or playing computer games, has never been higher and is growing all of the time.
"Keeping up with the latest makes and models can lead to large bills for parents, who should always ensure that they shop around before buying their gadgets. Parents should be especially aware that for products on a contract, such as a mobile phone or a broadband connected laptop, the cost doesn't end when the product is purchased. It's important to make sure their children are on a competitive and suitable contract - for instance, one with lots of free text messages!"