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Rich Southeast Asian kids prefer apps to web, but TV still most popular medium, finds study

Three quarters of affluent Indonesian children between the age of four and six use Facebook regularly, according to new research by TV broadcaster Turner.

Just under two thirds of kids of that age and wealth in the Philippines use the social network regularly, but less than a third of kids in Singapore do so, according to the study.

Percentage of young people with their own Facebook account

Presence on Facebook among the young and wealthy rises with age, with 94 per cent of 13-14 year-old Filipinos having their own Facebook account. Again, far fewer Singaporeans aged between seven and 14 have their own account than in Indonesia or the Philippines.

Percentage who have a Facebook account

Smartphone ownership among kids is high in these three countries, with 94 per cent of this age group and affluence having access to or owning their own device; three quarters of them have their own device.

Rich Southeast Asian kids now use apps more often than the internet; 86 per cent use an app at least once a week, spending 34 per cent more time using apps for social networking, games or photo-sharing than they did a year ago. Parents are also spending on average US$10 every month for app downloads for their kids.

“These children are digital natives, and as tablet and mobile devices continue to proliferate homes, the way they access entertainment and games continues to evolve. We’ve seen a significant shift in the amount of time spent watching online videos because of this, but playing games and the use of apps is still how kids choose to spend the majority of their online leisure time and there’s no indication that this trend will change,” said David Webb, director of research and planning at Turner International Asia Pacific, the owner of kids TV channels Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Toonami.

But it is television and not digital platforms that is the most commonly used medium among four to 14 year olds; 92 per cent watched TV in the last month compared to 89 per cent using digital media, according to the study.

“The majority of kids spend time co-viewing with the household purchasing decision maker, which means TV is still the most effective advertising medium for reaching this important audience,” said Webb.

Kids wield influence over family buying habits in unexpected categories, the research finds. More than half of parents say their kids influence their choice of car, 70 per cent over which mobile phone they buy and 80 per cent over their selection of laptop computer.

Eight out of 10 parents say their kids influence their choice in holiday, and half say children have sway over the airline and hotel they choose.

The research was based on 1,500 online responses from child-and-parent pairs from rich households in Manila, Singapore and Jakarta.

A video shows a selection of responses to the survey from kids in Australia.

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