Here are the top devices Millennial parents have given their kids, in one chart…
YPulse’s latest tech use and ownership behavioral report found that smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, and gaming consoles are the top devices that Gen Z and Millennials own. But it’s been a long, long time since it was a surprise that the majority of these generations own all these devices—but what about the next generation?
To learn more about the youngest of young consumers, YPulse regularly asks those raising them—Millennial parents—about their behavior. We’ve covered the social media platforms that Millennial parents say their kids are using, as well as the video games they say are their kids’ favorites. Now, we’ve got the data on exactly what devices young kids today own. As we’ve said before, YPulse’s research on Millennial parents shows that 33% have kids under nine-years-old, and 19% have children in the range of 10-13-years-old. So, half of Millennial parents are reporting on the behavior of young children and pre-teens. When we asked what tech devices they’ve given their children, the majority (90%) of Millennial parents report that their kids have been given some major device. Here’s the breakdown of what devices they have:
Over half of Millennial parents say their kids have their own tablet, and half say their kids have their own smartphone. Interestingly, when we ask 13-39-year-olds what the youngest age they think it’s appropriate for children to own their own smartphone, Millennial parents and non-parents both say around 12-years-old on average. While it’s likely that at least some Millennial parents are giving their kids smartphones before this time, it’s notable that most don’t think that younger kids should have their own smartphones. It’s also notable that Millennial parents are more likely to be giving their kids their own mobile devices than their own TVs, continuing the pattern of young consumers being raised on YouTube instead of cable.
But we do need to call out that while the majority of Millennial parents have given their kids some kind of tech device, most likely one with a screen, 81% agree with the statement “I worry about my children spending too much time looking at screens.” What’s more, 84% agree that “Kids have too many devices these days.” So while they’re raising a generation of tech-enabled, screen-owning children, they’re not too comfortable with it. Modern parenting arms them with the technology to entertain and educate their kids, and the guilt that they’re allowing that tech to take up too much of their kids’ time and attention. Because of this internal battle over tech time, we find that Millennial parents are drawn to entertainment that pulls their kids away from the very screens they’re given them: YPulse’s Playtime trend research found the majority of Millennial parents prefer toys that are not connected to the internet, and that encourage movement and activity.
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