Santa better have a hotline to top device manufacturers if he's to keep up with the demand for gadgets this festive season, as digital loot tops children's wish lists.
A recent Nielsen study shows there's one thing kids want to see under the Christmas tree this year, and it starts with an 'i'. Apple devices are especially popular among the younger generation, with the iPad coming in as the most coveted gadget.
The quintessential tablet is the most sought-after device among US children aged six to 12, the survey found, with nearly half (44%) saying it's their top pick this Christmas. Two other Apple products, the iPod Touch (30%) and iPhone (27%), complete the top three, with computers and other tablet brands each appealing to a quarter of young consumers.
The other contender for children's hearts and parents' chequebooks is the gaming console, with two products - the Nintendo 3DS (25%) and Kinect for Xbox 360 (23%) - first in line. Older Nintendo DS models, the PlayStation 3 (PS3), and the Xbox 360 come in ahead of the Nintendo Wii as the most popular gaming consoles.
In SA, the themes are similar. According to the Toys R Us Christmas gifting guide, Battlefield 3 for PlayStation 3 and the Skylanders Spyro Adventures Starter Pack for PC, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and PS3 are likely to fly off the shelves.
It only takes one kid to start a trend and that happens a lot in our schools.
Kali Moahloli, GfK
The retailer's 'hottest buys' list for toddlers includes a range of toys called Chatimals, fluffy robotic animals that mimic what children say and chat back to them, and the Oregon Scientific Laptop, which comes in styles including Batman and Barbie and features educational games, a qwerty keyboard, touchpad and headphone jack.
Other picks in the gaming and DVD category are animation golden oldie the Lion King, as well as PS3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and various other titles in the Skylanders franchise.
Justin Drennan, CEO of local online store WantItAll, says it expects the Amazon Kindle to be one of this season's top sellers. “It's not exactly a kid's toy, but it's an extremely popular gadget which is being adopted by a variety of age groups.”
According to Kali Moahloli, business group manager at quantitative research firm GfK, it's seen an increased demand for technology-based toys for Christmas in recent years.
“Over the last two Q4 periods (2009 and 2010), the run-up to Christmas sales has been phenomenal for nifty gadgets, including portable gaming, gaming software, mobile phones and digital cameras.
“In fact, every year Q4 is by far the best of any quarter throughout the entire year,” says Moahloli.
“Coincidentally, from what we hear in the trade, the Christmas sales are only done (majority-wise) in the last week or so before Christmas. This means that a large volume tracked by GfK is done over more or less seven to nine days.”
GfK predicts that iPads and BlackBerry PlayBooks; portable media players, mobile phones and smartphones; and portable gaming consoles like the PSP and DS Lite will all be prime stocking fillers this Christmas.
Moahloli adds, however, that tech interest differs sharply among the various age groups. “For kids aged six to 12, the preference is more focused on gaming and a small degree of social networking, but no actual productive work is desired or considered in the purchases of this age group.”
But children 13 years and older are more exposed to PCs at school, and the need to do more social networking means they can request a small inch-size laptop to perform school tasks, as well as have an aspect of entertainment, says Moahloli.
“Our impression is that younger users view technology as a vital part in their day-to-day lives. The amount of information they are exposed to lately is enormous - not only on TV but through friends, family, and schools.”
Child's play
With this jump in children's use of gadgets comes growing interest in the effects of technology on their learning and development. Several studies have examined the role of tech-enabled media access in shaping children's behaviour.
A 2009 report by US non-profit organisation, the Kaiser Family Foundation, reveals that surveyed children aged eight to 18 are engaging with digital media for an average of 7.5 hours per day.
“Our kids are exposed to so much international media and entertainment visuals, such as the Disney channel on DStv, music videos and so on,” says Moahloli. “The kids that are shown in these media classes are seen as 'trendsetters', and as such the kids seem to follow this notion. It only takes one kid to start a trend and that happens a lot in our schools.”
One effect of all this screen time creeping into children's schedules is less physical interaction, he adds. “The dire impact here is that fundamental aspects such as people skills and physical condition will suffer severely from this situation.”
Moahloli points to a study by US psychology expert Dr Larry Rosen, in which researchers used an anonymous online survey to assess parental reports of the health and media usage in three age groups: four- to eight-year-olds, nine- to 12-year-olds, and 13- to 18-year-olds.
“We were looking specifically to see if media use predicted health in four areas: physical symptomology, psychological problems, attention difficulties, and behavioural problems,” says Rosen in a blog post on the study.
The survey asked parents whether media usage of any type can predict ill-being, whether psychological, physical, behavioural, or combined.
After accounting for factors such as demographics and unhealthy eating, the results were “dismal at best”, according to Rosen, showing that consuming more media is predictive of poor health in all four dimensions.
“For four- to eight-year-old children, all media combined predicted every type of ill-being and amount of television viewing predicted physical problems,” says Rosen. “For nine- to 12-year-old teens, combined daily media predicted physical ill-being and video game playing (which peaks in this age bracket) predicted all attention and physical problems.”
For 12- to 18-year-old teens, nearly every form of media consumption predicted nearly every form of ill-being.
Moahloli says they're finding the same results when it comes to local youngsters.
“They are consuming a heavy daily media diet; they are multitasking at all times with many forms of media; and they are not just using media in the home but in other locations such as restaurants and the car.”
He argues that this non-stop, tech-fuelled media access is negatively impacting the health of children and teens, and that parents are being lax about setting limits and guidelines on media usage.
Professor Andrew Thatcher, chairman of industrial/organisational psychology at Wits University, says technology's effect on the way people interact with one another will naturally spill over into children's behaviour.
“What we see now is more social interaction - more tweets, more social networking, more phone calls - but the nature and the quality of the interaction has changed from individualised, intense, multi-sensorial connections to social interactions which are massified and digitised.”
He notes that while this shift will change children's social interaction development, it will do so in ways that are difficult to predict.
Parental guidance
Imagine starving a child of learning to use a keyboard and mouse, or a touch-screen.
Kate Cockcroft
On the up side, this digital influx can also have a positive effect. Kate Cockcroft, associate lecturer in the psychology department at Wits University, says tech toys can be good if they are developing one's working memory skills.
“Research suggests that children's IQ scores are rising. When looked at carefully, the research indicates that it is those aspects of IQ tests that relate to rapid processing of visual information that have shown increases, and these increases have been linked to greater exposure to technology. “
Thatcher says it's all about learning how to manage the data tsunami. “Children have access to so many more learning opportunities now; what they need is guidance in how to sift out truth from non-truth, garbage from jewels, too much from too thin.”
So what's a parent to do when faced with the growing list of devices aimed at children?
Cockcroft advises parents to look for toys that are both entertaining and educational - games that “implicitly teach something”.
“That said, even PC games like car-racing games teach eye-hand co-ordination.
Another plus, says Cockcroft, is that many newer games like the Wii involve collaborative play, giving children an opportunity to learn about co-operating and losing (hopefully gracefully).
Thatcher notes that tech toys can provide children with valuable problem-solving, social interaction, and motor skills they will have to deal with later in their lives. “Imagine starving a child of learning to use a keyboard and mouse, or a touch-screen.
“Children need spaces to experiment and try things out for themselves, especially if it is something that a parent would struggle to do,” he argues. “This is a normal part of childhood development, and a very necessary part of teenage development.”
For this reason, Thatcher encourages parents to buy gadgets that result in play and exploration, especially the type that involves movement and gets children out of doors.
“Choose gadgets that will prepare children for an uncertain world; ones which encourage problem-solving skills and social interaction with other members of the family, friends and peers.”
Cockcroft's main suggestion is that parents observe age restrictions on tech toys such as PC games. “These are there for a reason. It is not appropriate for a nine-year-old to be playing a violent war game that has a 16-year age restriction. This desensitises children to the horror of violence.”
It's also important to impose time limits and to make sure kids get out and exercise or engage in sport to develop other gross motor skills, she adds.
This is becoming easier, says Thatcher, given the developments in gaming devices and other gadgets. “While there used to be worries about physical development, a wide range of new technologies forces children to be active in their interactions with technology, especially as devices get smaller, more mobile, and more interactive - just look at the number of people jogging or walking with iPods.”
As technology progresses to touch almost every area of life, the generation of digital natives are likely to have the upper hand in adopting new tools; and many will begin their journey with a brightly wrapped package this Christmas.
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