

Touchscreens have overtaken every other type of toy to become the most popular way children play, researchers have found

How the iPad replaced the toy chest: Researchers find children play with touchscreens more than traditional toys
- More than 60% of parents claiming that their child uses a touchscreen
- Most popular use is games
- Increasingly they have their own device
'I have never seen a more intuitive technology for children,' said Michael Cohen. His firm, the Michael Cohen Group (MCG) today released the results of its recent nationwide survey, which polled 350 parents about the play habits of their children 12 and younger. Touchscreen devices got the most overall playtime according to the poll, with more than 60 percent of parents claiming that their child uses a touchscreen 'often' and roughly 38 percent claiming 'very often.' 'Touchscreens are the primary play activity now,' he said.
He said the rise of the touchscreen has been incredible.
'We've been tracking children for around 30 years.
'I've never seen the world changing as fast as it is now. It took 30 years for TV to be accessible to everyone - this is the most rapid introduction of a technology we've witnessed.'
Researchers found that over 70% of children in all income levels are living in homes with smartphones and over 55% with tablets.
Increasingly they also have their own device.
'Of the kids who have access, 36% own their own device - and that was in single digits last year,' said Cohen. 'That figure will skyrocket.'
Touchscreens beat toys that have been around for decades, such as dolls and action figures, arts and crafts, and construction-based toys, all of which had a roughly 50 percent usage rate on the poll. Gaming consoles had a usage rate of a bit less than 50 percent, with other children's staples such as vehicles, puzzles, and board games landing closer to 40 percent. The poll reveals that 10 percent of parents 'always' consider touch devices as playthings, while 58 percent considered them 'sometimes' toys. The remaining 32 percent claimed that mobile devices should never be put in the same category as physical play products.
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