I have to be grateful for The Bookseller sometimes. For its boycott of Author Solutions advertising. And now for its heroic readiness to fork out £1980 ($3326) for a copy of the CHILDWISE Monitor Report 2013-14 from CHILDWISE, “leading research specialists on children, young people and their families” with a “panel of over 1000 schools throughout the UK.” And this Monitor Report states, according to The Bookseller, that one in five of UK children (going by its sample) read on a tablet.
The Monitor Report, “a comprehensive annual report focused on children and young people’s media consumption, brand attitudes and key behaviour,” was based on interviews with 2,415 children aged 5-16 from 81 schools. Most of them now live in homes with at least one tablet, and half of those in the 13-16 age range actually own one. However, in less encouraging news for Kindle, perhaps, only one in ten of children overall use a dedicated ereader. And yes, there probably are more useful insights in there for educationalists and brand owners in general, but not for trackers of reading habits.
At least CHILDWISE takes a less alarmist tone than the recent Association of Teachers and Lecturers report alleging declines in infant coordination because of tablet overuse. Still, that’s what your money buys you. I hope it was worth it.
