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Tablets Gain Ground with Students and Kids [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Kylie Jane Wakefield

Among the youngsters, it’s clear that tablets are catching on.

According to an infographic by MDG Advertising, 52 percent of children ages 5 to 8 have used iPads and video iPods. For kids 2 to 4, it’s 39 percent, and for babies up to age one, it’s 10 percent.

The infographic also states that “in tablet-owning households with children under 12-years-old, 7 out of ten of those children are using a tablet, such as an iPad.”

The iPad has made a huge impact on education as well. There are 1.5 million iPads in circulation among American students, over 20,000 education and learning apps for download, and Apple’s free digital education platform, iTunesU, “is used by more than 1,000 colleges worldwide.”

With the demand for kid-friendly apps and programs on tablets, Toys “R” Us recently announced that it is putting out a specially designed device for children. The Washington Post’s Cecilia Kang and Hayley Tsukayama write that it will cost $150, and “children are expected to drive tablet sales this holiday season.”

For marketers, the growing popularity of mobile technology for children means that more kid-focused (and parent-approved) content should be produced. Content marketing and tablets are a match made in heaven, as proven by consumers, and, as shown by the infographic, resonate with every age group, including the younger demographic.

Brooke Crothers’ article on CNET, in which he asked readers about what they use the iPad for, showed that both students and children had highly favorable responses.

One parent said: “My kid enjoys the iPad so much. Actually enjoy reading Tintin (search for it) and Spiderman on it … I also noticed my kid having completed almost 3/4 of Treasure Island too in the last 2 weeks.”

A student replied, “”I’m a student, and the iPad is great for me. I find it much more comfortable to study on the iPad rather than on a laptop screen. I take notes on my laptop, but then study them on my iPad. Before I got it, I printed out hundreds of pages of notes and PowerPoint slides and had to carry around large binders. I know the iPad isn’t for everyone, but I love it.”