Parents will spend £225 on gadgets alone for their children this Christmas – more than a quarter (26%) are budgeting over £300
Apple and Samsung are kids’ most popular brands which might explain why 39% of parents can’t afford the gadget their child wants most
Video games (38%) are the most popular gadget gifts, closely followed by tablets (34%) and games consoles (24%)
More than four in 10 (43%) parents with kids under seven will receive a tablet this Christmas, while 23% will buy mobile phones
Three in 10 (30%) parents will let their child spend more than three hours a day playing with gadgets over Christmas, and almost one in ten (9%) for more than 5 hours.
Christmas is set to be electric this year, with generous mums and dads planning to fork out £225 on tech gifts for their children, and more than a quarter (26%) budgeting upwards of £300, according to new research by Uswitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service.
Even the tiniest tots can expect gadget gifts under the tree, with almost four in 10 (39%) parents with children aged one to six years old planning to spend more than £200 on them.
Most popular among children are premium brands Apple (27%) and Samsung (14%), which could explain why almost four in 10 (39%) parents won’t be able to afford their child’s top choice tech this Christmas. Approaching a fifth (19%) will be frugal and buy refurbished or second-hand gadgets instead, while one in ten (9%) will go for a cheaper brand or will simply purchase an older, and therefore less expensive, iteration (8%).
Almost of third (32%) of parents say their kids understand technology is expensive and won’t be getting exactly what they want, while almost one in 10 (9%) have managed their kids’ expectations and told them they won’t be getting any gadgets this year due to the expense. But 15% of mums and dads are still worried their children will be disappointed come December 25th as they can’t stretch to what they want.
Meanwhile, almost a fifth (19%) of thrifty parents were either shopping for gadgets over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, or plan to pick them up in the January sales instead.
Video games are the most popular gadget gift (38%) this year, while tablets come a close second (34%) and games consoles in third place (24%). Tablets are the top choice of gift among children under seven. More than four in 10 (43%) parents will buy their youngest a tablet this Christmas, while 23% will buy them a mobile phone.
However, e-readers (8%) and digital cameras (9%) are slowly falling out of fashion. For Christmas two years ago, 11% of parents were buying Kindles or similar for their offspring and 12% were buying cameras. The table below shows the most popular gadget gifts this Christmas:
| Gadget type | % parents who will buy this gadget for their kids this Christmas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Video games | 38% | ||
| Tablet (e.g. iPad) | 34% | ||
| Games console | 24% | ||
| Games console accessories (e.g. headset, controller) | 23% | ||
| Smartphone | 20% | ||
| Laptop | 15% | ||
| Phone accessories (e.g. case, screen protector) | 14% | ||
| MP3 player (e.g. iPod) | 11% | ||
| Digital camera | 9% | ||
| TV | 9% | ||
| E-Reader (e.g. Kindle) | 8% | ||
| Smartwatch | 7% | ||
| Smart TV | 7% | ||
| PC | 5% | ||
| Basic mobile phone | 5% |
Source: Uswitch.com
With so much new gadgetry in British households, more than half (53%) of parents will be limiting the time their children spend playing with gadgets over the Christmas holidays. However, three in 10 (30%) parents will let their children spend more than three hours a day playing with gadgets, and 9% more than 5 hours a day.
Ernest Doku, technology expert at Uswitch.com, says: “Clementines and chocolate coins simply won’t cut it with the youth of today. If it doesn’t need charging, they probably won’t want it. I jest, of course, but our research does suggest Santa Claus’s sleigh will be dragging a high-voltage load this year.
“Playground pack mentality says Apple or Samsung makes coolest gadgets around. They also command premium prices. Fortunately for parents who are feeling the pinch, smartphones cost less if you can find a refurb, and just as thrifty is opting for an older model.
“Apple’s latest phone, the iPhone 6s, costs from £35 per month including a ‘free’ phone on a pay-monthly contract, versus £24.99 per month for the older iPhone 5s. And entry-level tablets can be bought for under £100 – and an 8GB Amazon Fire costs just £50.”
For the best budget priced smartphones visit Uswitch.com
Find out how you could save over £1,000 a year with Uswitch.com here.
Notes to editors
Data collected in October 2015 from a survey by 3Gem of 2,012 UK parents of children under the age of 18.
All parents were asked: ‘How much do you plan to spend at Christmas on gadgets for your children in total?’. The mean was £225. 10.7% said 0%, 8.2% said £1-£50, 17% said £51-£100, 21% said £101-£200, 16.9% said £201-£300, 11.5% said £301-£400, 7.2% said £401-£500, 3.5% said £501-£750, 1.8% said £751-£1,000, 2% said £1,000+
All parents were asked: ‘Will you be able to afford the make and model of gadget that your children want?’ 60.7% said yes, 18.7% said yes, but they would have to buy refurbished or second hand, 8.1% said no, I will get an older version, 8.6% said no, I will have to buy one made by a different brand, 1.4% said no, so I won’t buy them a gadget, 2.5% said no
See table above for full results. Parents were asked ‘Which of the following gadgets will you buy your children for Christmas this year?’
All parents were asked: ‘Which is the brand of choice for your child?’ The top five answers were Apple 26.5%, Samsung 14.3%, anything as long as it’s branded with their favourite character/show/music artist 11.4%, Sony 7.9%, Android 6.4%
Parents whose youngest child is aged one to six years were asked: ‘Which of the following gadgets will you buy your children for Christmas this year?’ The top five responses were: tablet 42.6%, video games 38%, games console 27%, smartphone 16.9% (mobile phone 6.4%), laptop 15.1%
All parents were asked: ‘For how long will you allow your child/youngest child to use their gadgets over Christmas?’ 3.3% said once a week, 10.8% said 2-3 times a week, 10.7% said less than an hour a day, 40.6% said 1-2 hours a day, 20.5% said 3-4 hours a day, 5% said 5-6 hours a day, 0.9% 7-8 hours a day, 3.1% said over 8 hours a day, 5% said I won’t let my children use their gadgets at all
Parents whose youngest child is aged one to six years were asked: ‘How much do you plan to spend at Christmas on gadgets for your children in total?’ 9% said 0%, 10.6% said £1-£50, 18.9% said £51-£100, 21% said £101-£200, 15.4% said £201-£300, 9.9% said £301-£400, 6.1% said £401-£500, 2.9% said £501-£750, 1.8% said £751-£1,000, 2.4% said £1,000+
All parents were asked: ‘Which of the following statements apply to you?’ 15.2% said ‘I’m worried my children will be disappointed this Christmas as I can’t buy them the exact gadget they want’, 32.2% said ‘My children know that technology is expensive and that they won’t be getting exactly what they want’, 9.3% said ‘My children know that technology is expensive and that they won’t be getting any gadgets this Christmas’, 6.4% said ‘My child cares more about the brand than the gadget itself’ 14.7% said ‘I will wait until Cyber Monday or Black Friday to buy gadgets for my children’s Christmas gifts’, 4.7% said ‘I will wait until the Boxing Day sales to buy gadgets for my children’s Christmas gifts’, 32.4% said ‘none of these’
Based on a survey carried out online with the Uswitch Consumer Opinion Panel amongst 1,748 respondents in November 2013
All parents were asked: ‘Will you be limiting the amount of time your child/ren spends using their gadgets over the Christmas holidays?’ 53.1% said yes, 33.1% said no, 13.8% said don’t know
Based on deals data from Uswitch.com on 12/11/15
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