Most families give their children their own devices at the start of school: according to a Rakuten Viber survey, 47% of parents buy their first smartphone at the age of 6–7, and 93% provide their children with gadgets in general.
Most families give their children their own devices at the start of school: according to a Rakuten Viber survey, 47% of parents buy their first smartphone at the age of 6–7, and 93% provide their children with gadgets in general.
Rakuten Viber has published the results of a large survey on its official channel in Ukraine: more than 29 thousand users took part. The study showed that 51% of parents have already bought their child both a phone and a laptop or tablet. Another 31% limited themselves to their own phone: 14% bought a relatively new smartphone, 17% — a simple device or an old smartphone «to stay in touch». 9% stopped at a tablet or laptop for lessons and games, 7% do not buy separate devices at all and let family members use them, 2% chose only a smartwatch.
When do children get their first personal device? 12% of parents say — up to five years. The peak is at 6-7 years (47%). Next is the group of 8–9 years (19%), and another 22% postpone the purchase until 10+ years. According to the survey methodology (anonymous online format, n>29,000), the key group was users aged 34–45, more than half of the respondents — up to 45 years.
Why do families buy technology? The answers are typical: remote tasks, learning platforms, communication with teachers and classmates, multimedia groups, games in their free time. A noticeable share of «economical» solutions (old smartphones, simple phones) indicates that parents often choose a compromise between price, durability and the basic need — to stay in touch with their child.
For the market, this will mean that the demand for affordable entry-level smartphones and tablets is growing, as well as the demand for simple parental control settings and screen time limitation tools. For schools, this is a signal towards digital hygiene: if a gadget appears already in 1st-2nd grade, clear rules of use and transparent channels of communication with parents are needed.
Ukrainian households have been massively digitized in recent years: learning platforms, electronic diaries, and class messengers have become the standard. Against this background, Rakuten Viber’s results look logical: parents seek to combine learning and basic security, and children have their own communication channel and access to content. The nearest trends are greater attention to «protected» modes, regular updates, and scenarios where the smartphone is a tool for lessons, not just entertainment.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Rakuten Viber surveyed over 6,000 Ukrainians to find out how they use AI, for what purposes, and which tools they prefer.
