Kids using CE products at younger age

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. According to a newly released study by The NPD Group, children are engaging with consumer electronics at a younger age than ever before. The study found that the average age at which children begin using CE devices has declined from about eight years in 2005 to about 7 years in 2007.

Children's earliest exposure to electronic devices (at four or five years of age) comes in the form of televisions or desktop computers, with later exposure (at about nine years of age) to satellite radios and portable digital media players, The NPD reported.

Although the age at which people begin using CE devices is down, the average number of items both owned and used by kids is down slightly compared to last year and in 2005, as are the number of households that own these devices.  Moreover, close to 25% of households surveyed claimed to have made no electronics purchases during the past 12 months.

Despite the overall decline in children's usage and ownership of electronics, a growing number of them now own a portable music player, portable video game player or a digital camera.

"Kids are drawn to the latest and greatest digital devices just as their parents are," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group.  "They appear to have no fear of technology and adopt it easily and without fanfare, making these devices a part of their everyday lives."