Parents Want More Play Time

Up to 90 percent of Australian parents wish they had more time to play with their children, according to a new report released today.

The report, titled Toy Story 3 video game: 21st Century Playtime, also said that while 74 percent of Aussie parents believe their own kids have enough playtime, it seems they’re a bunch of big kids at heart who want to engage more with their kids, especially when it comes to playing new virtual forms of entertainment such as videogames.

The report also stated:

  • 97 percent of Australian households own one or more videogame consoles
  • 79 percent admit they enjoy playing videogames with their kids
  • 4 out of 5 videogame experiences are played as a shared family experience, busting the myth that videogames are an isolating and unsocial experience for kids
  • 60 percent of parents average up to 2 hours per week playing videogames with their kids, which is the same amount of time they’ll spend on playing sports, board games, going outside and playing with regular toys.

“The…report is an interesting insight into Australian parents’ perceptions of their kid’s play time."  said futurist and demographre Mark McCrindle. " Overall, it’s found that parents highly value playtime and are increasingly partial to, and adopting, new forms of entertainment like videogames as part of the playtime mix. There’s no doubt playing with toys has changed in the 21st century, given entertainment has become more and more influenced by technology… Australia is a tech savvy nation, so it’s no surprise that parents have come to accept videogames as a valuable and complementary form of entertainment for children today, as long as they provide creativity and educational benefits.”

Indeed, 41 percent of parents said they find it hard to monitor what games are appropriate for children. However for the majority (74 percent) of Australian parents, they believe that videogames can have positive benefits for their kids when played in moderation, such as improving motor skills and hand-eye coordination (94 percent); analytical and problem solving skills (91 percent) and creativity (72 percent). The research was conducted online with 1000 parents of children aged between 5-12.

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