Most Asia-Pacific children would choose online entertainment over TV
Children in the Asia-Pacific region are more likely to spend their evenings glued to their smartphones and tablets rather than television, a report by kids’ mobile advertising and content platform TotallyAwesome has found.
The Vietnam-based organisation’s APAC Kids Market Insights Report 2016-17, which surveyed 2,154 children aged between six and 14 across six markets, found that youngsters spend on average 24 minutes more time online than watching TV during the week. During a school day, the average child spends two hours and 54 minutes online, the report said.
However, preferences were shown to vary across region. In Thailand, nearly all children said they preferred online entertainment to TV, followed by 81 per cent in the Philippines. Vietnamese children were the least likely to favour the internet over TV than their APAC peers at 65 per cent.
Meanwhile, the shift to online consumption was seen more among older children. During the weekend, children aged between six and eight spend an average of three hours online. This number rises to four hours and 20 minutes for their 14-year-old peers. Nevertheless, television remains a popular medium, with 58 per cent of youngsters using device several times a day – the same figure as for a smartphone.
Totally Awesome also researched the influence of digital content and TV on parents’ spending habits. Out of 2,154 parents surveyed, more than half said they had bought an item their child wanted after they saw it online.
TotallyAwesome chief executive officer Quan Nguyen said: “Brands should consider APAC kids as key influencers in family spending and recognise the need to reach and engage them through a consistent, always-on digital presence. This is even more pertinent for the higher age groups. In particular, mobile is gaining unprecedented importance as a gateway to APAC kids.
“Campaign strategies for this market are most compelling when they adopt a cohesive multi-screen approach with TV and digital working in harmony, and to maximise potential for engagement across touch points.”
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