Dads, Kids and Online Entertainment
Dads spend more time and money entertaining kids online
Dad is the go-to guy for kids who want money to download music, games or movies from the internet, research finds.
In February 2011, Ipsos OTX MediaCT asked parents with kids ages 12 and under about their online and entertainment activities with their children. Among parents who had gone online with their children in the past week, 36% of fathers had downloaded paid-for music in the past year, vs. 28% of moms. The same proportion of dads had paid to download games, compared to 25% of moms.
One reason dads are more likely to pay may be because they want to enjoy fun online along with their kids. For instance, 73% of dads who owned a console or handheld device played video games with their children for an hour or more each week, compared to only 38% of moms. While study participants played all types of video games, fathers preferred the sports and action genres.
Male parents are also online with their offspring for more hours each week than moms. Among parents who own any online device, dads spent 4.5 hours on the internet with their children, compared with 2.9 hours for moms.
This behavior indicates that dads are a willing target for messaging related to their kids. Or at least, they could be, but advertising has not kept pace with their involvement. Indeed, a Yahoo! survey from October 2010 showed that fathers indexed higher than other men in decisions about purchases in categories such as consumer packaged goods, personal care and apparel. But 66% of dads felt ignored by apparel advertising, and when it came to child and baby products, 57% felt alienated by ads—even though 80% were either primary or shared decision-makers about such products.