More than 50% of Aussie kids use tablet computers

As a father of three I am not shocked by the data that has come from the latest Roy Morgan Research “Young Australians Survey” which shows that more than half of all kids aged six to 13 own or use a tablet computer.

If that number doesn’t surprise you, check the growth rate – that same stat was just 33% one year earlier.

For some reason girls area ahead of boys in usage, and kids in Victoria seem the most likely to own or use a tablet (57% – up from 38%), with WA (54%), QLD (53%) and NSW (52%) right behind them.

Perhaps the higher the school adoption rate the higher the usage?

The sharpest growth in tablet usage among kids was in Tassy, jumping from 21% to 46% in just one year to be on-par with SA and NT.

John La Rosa, General Manager – Agencies, Roy Morgan Research, says:

“The speed with which tablet computers have become mainstream is a phenomenon that we’ll no doubt see repeated many times as more user- and kid-friendly technologies enter the marketplace. Tablet computers will become a model for marketers looking to predict adoption trends in the future, and a case study in how devices move from being considered supplementary to necessary, desirable to indispensable.

“It didn’t take long after tablets were first launched for parents to recognise their value as an entertainment and educational device with multiple applications suitable for everyone in the house.

“The majority of children now own or have access to a tablet, with now girls almost 8% more likely than boys to use one.” 

Pretty amazing stuff, and a sign that this techy age is just beginning.