You might hear people talking about declining interest in the iPad, but try telling that to kids — who have expressed so much love for Apple’s tablet that last year it was named the #1 brand among children aged 6-12.
Now a new piece of research suggests that little ones are so use to using tablets as their primary “screen” that it’s a punishment to have their iPad privileges revoked and be made to watch regular old, non-touchscreen TV instead.
“I remember as a kid when we used to get in trouble, we used to get sent to our room without any TV,” one father quoted in the study says. “But nowadays, when we punish our kids, we take away the iPad. The big punishment in our house is actually being forced to watch TV.”
A child, meanwhile, says that, “The iPad’s cool, TV isn’t that good, because you can’t control it. Basically, the TV sucks.”
According to the study, close to 6 in 10 children have their own tablet, and 57 percent prefer a non-TV device for watching video. Miner & Co surveyed 800 parents with kids aged 2-12.
But what happens when Apple finally gets around to re-inventing the TV as well? Maybe the really naughty kids will be forced to watch YouTube videos on a Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
Via: Telegraph
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Kids love iPads so much that being forced to watch TV is a punishment”
If I understand, it’s not TV hardware they don’t like. It’s TV programs proposed. Because with my Apple TV, I can choose what I want to watch…
TV is garbage for kids, in general. Better they interact with some entertaining educational games which teach them without them even knowing it. Sure there are educational programs on TV (PBS is all I can think of), but many past studies have shown interaction is much better for the brain. Just keep YouTube away from the kiddies, lol!