Nick Stepka knew what gift would make his daughter’s third birthday a hit, and it wasn’t a toy or doll.
He gave her a tablet — not a sleek new iPad or a hand-me-down Samsung, but one specifically designed for little ones. It even came with a purple protective casing and loaded with apps and games for kids.
“Her eyes lit up when she opened it,” says 34-year-old Stepka from Shakopee, Minneapolis. “Everything else got put to the side.”
That’s exactly what tabletmakers and companies that create children’s entertainment were hoping for.
Stepka’s household is part of a growing group of consumers for whom traditional children’s toys and games are not enough. In the US, the percentage of kids aged eight and under using mobile devices has almost doubled in the past two years, according to a report by San Francisco nonprofit organisation Common Sense Media.
Children are also spending more time on these devices — 15 minutes a day on an average last year, up from five minutes in 2011, the report says.
This is why Jim Mitchell started Fuhu Inc., a California-based company that makes tablets for kids between three and 14 years.
“We were tired of giving our kids the iPad when it first came out, and there really wasn’t anything else,” he says. “They wanted to play with all the games on it, and it would get smudged or shatter if they dropped it.”
Fuhu makes Nabi tablets, which major retailers sell for between $100 (about Dh367) and $300. The company posted $200 million in sales last year, and executives are betting that demand from children and parents will continue for high-powered devices that sport kid-friendly content and thick plastic bumpers to prevent damage.
Kids can customise the machines with stickers featuring film and TV characters, as well as with accessories such as alphabets that attach to the tablet. They can watch TV shows and movies, play games and explore the web on the tablet, but only the sites their parents approve.
Competition in the field of children’s tablets is growing.
Companies such as LeapFrog Enterprises in Emeryville, California, Toys R Us based in Wayne, New Jersey, and tech giant Samsung Electronics have tried to market devices to youngsters. Even traditional toymakers such as Mattel Inc. have entered the app industry.
Hollywood has taken notice too. Walt Disney, DreamWorks Animation and Viacom’s Nickelodeon are putting out tablet and mobile apps.
Education-focused cable channel BabyFirstTV, which is broadcast in 40 million American homes, has unleashed 27 apps aimed at young children. Sharon Rechter, Co-Founder and Executive Vice-President, BabyFirstTV, says she expects the reach of her app business to match her traditional TV business in the next two years.
“Parents are constantly looking for good educational content,” she says. “Kids’ apps and devices are here to stay.”
Entertainment companies and tabletmakers are teaming up. For instance, BabyFirst has co-developed a series called Albert & Junior specifically for use on Fuhu’s tablets.
Fuhu also has made deals with Disney and Nickelodeon for special-edition tablets and it’s taking the tech-entertainment relationship further with its next device, the DreamTab, built with DreamWorks Animation.
The $269-DreamTab, which runs on Google’s Android operating system, will have a wider retail launch in June.
It’s no accident that it will hit the market just weeks before the release of How to Train Your Dragon 2, the sequel to the 2010 hit. The tie-ins include animated interactive videos and games based on Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar.
Educational features coach kids on, for example, how to draw and animate their favourite characters, create books and edit video. Even parental controls get the cartoon treatment. A short video of a DreamWorks character tells children when it’s time to take a break from the screen or shut down for the day.
“As a parent, you’d rather have a penguin tell the kid it’s time to go outside than take the tablet away yourself,” says Jim Mainard, Head of Digital Strategy, DreamWorks Animation.
Sean McGowan, a toy and gaming analyst with Needham & Co, is impressed with Fuhu’s offerings. But he says parents are less inclined to buy every new children’s tablet that hits the market the way grown-ups do with Apple and Android devices.
“You could run into a problem where everyone who wants them will have one and may be reluctant to upgrade,” he says.
Stepka doesn’t plan to switch to the new DreamTab because he already owns six Nabi devices. “We don’t want the tablets to raise our kids for us,” he says. “But I don’t want to deprive them of using the technology to educate themselves."
— Los Angeles Times
