The Digital Experience and Play

The idea of leisure and “play” for children in America has evolved from an experience cemented in timeless, staple games and toys to one that is increasingly tied to the evolving digital experience of their parents. Consider these trends:

Digital activity is soaring among kids. According to an article citing research by the Sesame Workshop, children today are increasingly digitally active—67% of eight year olds use the Internet daily, 40% of four year olds are daily video game players, and 20% of children between the ages of six and eleven own a cell phone. That’s nearly double the percentage found just five years ago (12%). Toys and games are clearly no longer just competing with other toys/games, but increasingly with consumer electronics and all manner of digital technologies for kids’ attention.

Young, Gen Y moms are exposing their kids to tech earlier than ever. Check out this chart featured as part of an Ad Age Stat of the Day. It shows how younger moms are getting tech into their toddlers’ hands faster than their Gen X counterparts did. Pretty telling...and this behavior should only serve to reinforce the fact that today’s toys are designed for tech-savvy children who grow up faster than their parents did. As this trend is played forward, toy and “gadget” culture will merge and toys. And toys will continue to be a useful place to watch for emerging consumer technologies like augmented reality and robotics.

The complexity of toys, and play, will intensify. The child of yesterday played with matchbox cars, driving them along a carpet patterned with roads and buildings. Children today might play with a battery powered, gyroscope stabilized, RC mini-helicopter outfitted with a VGA video camera and 1 GB SD card, using it to record videos of real roads and buildings near his home. This complexification is natural considering that toys throughout history have always reflected adult activities and interests, and adult lives do seem to be increasingly complex and tech-infused. Consequently, toys will mirror this.

But as these changes unfold, and kids explore and perceive their world through the eyes of digital technology, one might wonder—are some things left behind or delayed as attention is increasingly directed towards the digital world? Some research seems to point in that direction. In a study conducted earlier this year, researchers found that a greater percentage of kids age 2-5 can operate a smartphone app (19%) than tie his or her own shoelaces (9%). This isolated data point is in no way a signpost marking the end of childhood as we know it. However, as the author suggests, this finding is indicative of “how the development of tech skills are quickly outpacing more traditional life skills in today's youth.”

It’s something we plan to keep our eyes on, for sure—though this doesn’t mean that come January we won’t be eagerly watching the 2012 CES in Las Vegas to see what this New Year’s hottest toys will be as well.

Originally posted at The Trend and Foresight Blog by Chris Carbone and Cyrus Sussman.

Image: x-ray delta one (Flickr)