Kids and tech – a fresh look

It should come as no surprise that children’s use of laptops, video game platforms and cell phones continues to rise. Even the most die-hard luddite will concede that.

But a new report from The NPD Group says girls are more likely than boys to use cell phones and laptop computers.

Also, while cell phone ownership by tweens is on the rise, fewer and fewer of those kids are bothering to talk on them. The market research company says almost half of the people surveyed indicated kids used their phones to send text messages or photos rather than for verbal communications.

On average, kids between the ages of 4 and 14 have 11 consumer electronics devices in their home, with iPods, TVs and PCs leading the pack. The family shares most of these devices, but a rising number of children now own their own hardware.

According to NPD, 37 percent of kids who play portable games on a Nintendo DS or other device own their own, while one in four children own their own video game console (such as an Xbox or PlayStation).