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Kids getting smartphones at 10, as portable console popularity shrinks

New market research from Influence Central reveals that kids are getting phones younger and making them their primary devices.

Christian Nutt, Contributor

May 18, 2016

1 Min Read
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New market research from Influence Central reveals that kids are getting phones younger and making them their primary devices.

According to the company's latest report, the average age a child receives his or her first smartphone is 10.3 years old. 64 percent of kids have access to the Internet via their own laptop or tablet, too.

This is likely contributing to the decline of handheld console popularity. The firm reports that on car trips, Nintendo's handhelds have fallen to fourth place behind tablets, phones, and DVDs as an entertainment choice, with just 24 percent of kids choosing to use them on trips.

This follows on from research late last year out of the UK that just 28 percent of 5-15 year olds in the UK played portable video game systems regularly

Influence Central's data comes from research conducted online in January and February, via a survey of 500 women.

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