Recen studies have shown that boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 14 have a wide range of various digital devices and use them in very different ways. Whether they're digital cameras, mp3 players, portable game devices or smartphones, the list of devices is endless. However given all of this choice, the interesting thing is that boys seem to be fascinated by games and playing them is the number one thought in their head - no matter what the platform or device is.
Conversely, girls are more interested in downloading music, pictures, ringtones and wallpapers, listening to music, chatting and e-mailing with friends, watching videos, and reading eBooks on the various different devices they use compared to boys.
But is there a middle ground? There is, and that middle ground is digital convergence. Both boys and girls want their devices to do everything together. Communication and games, photos and music - the kids of the noughties expect them to fit in their pocket in the form of a single device.
However this doesn't apply to non-portable gaming devices. Boys still love video game consoles. They are also nearly two times more likely to download games with their console.
The same applies to playing on the computer. 91% of boys want a desktop computer to play games on and 77% a laptop (compared to 60% and 58% for girls respectively).
While boys (82%) are much more interested in playing games on the mobile devices such as an iPod Touch or iPhone compared to girls (52%), gaming is still the number one reason both genders would want such a device.
Conversely, girls are more interested in downloading music, pictures, ringtones and wallpapers, listening to music, chatting and e-mailing with friends, watching videos, and reading eBooks on the various different devices they use compared to boys.
But is there a middle ground? There is, and that middle ground is digital convergence. Both boys and girls want their devices to do everything together. Communication and games, photos and music - the kids of the noughties expect them to fit in their pocket in the form of a single device.
However this doesn't apply to non-portable gaming devices. Boys still love video game consoles. They are also nearly two times more likely to download games with their console.
The same applies to playing on the computer. 91% of boys want a desktop computer to play games on and 77% a laptop (compared to 60% and 58% for girls respectively).
While boys (82%) are much more interested in playing games on the mobile devices such as an iPod Touch or iPhone compared to girls (52%), gaming is still the number one reason both genders would want such a device.
However with all of this convergence a difficulty arising for parents at this point is that is it much harder to control the content that their child sees than compared to single function devices. This is due to a centrally devised market place where multiple products that are either mediocre, non-educational or just simply inappropriate for children lie side by side with quality content with no discernible difference in the initial appearance of the products.
There is also less control at the point of purchase with it being difficult for less tech-savvy parents to make shopping carts a purchase barrier due to inbuilt credit card details in smart browsers and simpler purchase systems.
However due to this issue, applications and solutions designed to aid parents are coming into the market for the first time and thus allows parents to be at ease with their children's usage of these newly found all in one multimedia devices. It will be interesting to see how studies show this change in another five years time, but for now we are at a crossroads. Hopefully what's best for consumers comes to the fore.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eoin_Melvin
