They are the digital natives – kids aged 8-14 are sitting down at the computer to help their parents share photos, plan travel, and even file taxes. Kids who are computer competent are becoming pivotal sources of information and planning for the family.
According to “Surfin’ on Mom’s Turf: Cyber Chillin’ With 8-14 Year-Olds,” a report released by Stars for Kidz, 14 percent of kids have helped parents prepare their income tax return online.
“In this 8 to 14 age group, these kids are the first strong generation where they have had all these sophisticated levels of technology from childhood, and they function intuitively,” said Adele Schwartz, research director at Stars for Kidz.
“What we see is the kids who are computer competent are becoming pivotal sources of information and planning for the family,” said Schwartz. “Kids think moms [parents] are clueless, while that may or may not be true, kids are quicker and they find [information online] easier.”
About 77 percent of kids shop on the Internet. Almost 10 percent in the survey report said they have a credit card, though the number is self-reported. Another method of payment is gift cards. “Their greatest delight is that they love going online to spend, they love using gift cards online,” said Schwartz.
The “Surfin’ on Mom’s Turf” study was conducted in two parts. Quantitative interviews with small groups of nine- and 10-year-olds and moms of children of the same age were conducted from January through March. The focus groups helped with attitude and behavior and aided in the formation of a 10-question online survey, the second component of the study. The online survey was taken by 6,064 children aged 8 to14.
