Over 55s spend more time on tablets than teens

Teenagers might give the impression that they are conjoined with their mobile devices but it is those aged 55 and over who are now leading the way, according to a new study by the IPA.
TouchPoints reveals an increase in the use of tablets amongst those aged 55+ across the country, in particular, since the previous year, time spent on these devices among this age group has increased by 84% in comparison to an increase of 43% among 15- to 24-year-olds.
The survey, which aims to provide a detailed view of ‘a week in the life’ of a consumer, also found that time spent on a tablet has increased over time across all age groups, and particularly among those aged 55+ (an increase on the previous year of 19 minutes each day for 55+ compared to 12 minutes for so-called millennials).
When using their tablets, people spend the most amount of time playing games or consuming media and its usage peaks at 9am and 9pm during the week.
The survey also found that those aged 65+ spend as much time on their tablets as those aged between 15 and 20 years of age. Additional insight from the survey includes:
· 77% of those aged 55+ read and download e-books on their tablet
· Those aged 55+ spend 42mins weekly on average gaming on a tablet and the most popular games are Bejewelled and Farm Heroes Saga
· 27% of 55+ year olds watch downloaded or streamed TV films and 54% watch catch-up/on-demand TV films on their tablet
· Over a third of tablet users aged 55+ access a newspaper brand each week this way compared to a quarter of 15-24 year olds
· While watching TV at peak time those aged 55+ are e-mailing (13%), on social media (15%) and using search (12%)
IPA research director Lynne Robinson said: “Our research has shown that that the tablet market has seen a tremendous growth in particular among the older age groups. Advertisers need to pay attention to this trend as this demographic is often rich in terms of time and means and has the ability to influence their peers.”

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