Study: Second Screen Is First With Kids

Kids prefer a mobile second screen as their first screen for video viewing over the TV set.

That is according to a survey of 800 parents of kids 2-12 conducted by marketing and branding firm Miner & Co. Studio.

A majority of the parents polled (57%) said that their child "prefers a device other than the TV" to watch video content.

In fact, almost half of the parents said that when their kids act up, they take away the tablet and "make" them watch TV,  "creating a generation of kids for whom TV is punishment," said Miner.

And according to the study, 41% of the parents said their child would choose a tablet over desert.

The reasons the parents cited for their kids preference for a mobile device over a TV set for video were: 1. can take it anywhere; 2. has a touch screen; 3. ease of use; 4. independence; 5. ability to re-watch content.

Margin of error for the percentages in the study is plus or minus 3.46%.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.