Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
- Impact of COVID-19 on families and tech
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- Figure 1: Short, medium and longer-term impact of COVID-19 on families and tech, August 2020
- Opportunities
- Parents naturally trust their children and want a healthy relationship with them
- Kids are using technology nearly as much as their parents
- Challenges
- Despite tech’s value to families, parents want to limit its usage
Target Audience – Key Takeaways
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- The population of kids in Canada is growing
- Home dynamics are changing due to COVID-19
- Effects of tech usage on children are an ongoing concern
Target Audience by the Numbers
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- The population of kids in Canada is growing
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- Figure 2: Population of children, by age, 2005-19
- Home dynamics are changing due to COVID-19
- Effects of tech usage on children are an ongoing concern
Market Factors
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- Broader tech market will likely see sales momentum slow
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- Figure 3: Higher spending priority for tech and communications and leisure/entertainment, April-August 2020
- Household saving rate is at an unprecedented high
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- Figure 4: Household saving rate, Q2 2010-Q2 2020
- Working moms have been the most impacted by unemployment
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- Figure 5: Employment index among parents (February 2020=100), by age of youngest child, February-June 2020
- Parents have financial challenges, but remain positive
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- Figure 6: Current financial situation, parents vs non-parents, June 2020
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- Figure 7: Positive attitudes towards personal and country’s finances, parents vs non-parents, August 2020
- Public school systems are providing kids with tech in class
- Impact of COVID-19 on families and tech
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- Figure 8: Short, medium and longer-term impact of COVID-19 on families and tech, August 2020
Market Opportunities
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- The market is set for price to become a more important factor
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- Figure 9: Spotify Canada Twitter post, August 2020
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Google has built family tech into its marketing structure
- Facebook Portal is making families its target audience
- Disney+ has built itself off of families
- Big three telecoms make family sharing easy
Competitive Strategies
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- Google has built family tech into its marketing structure
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- Figure 10: Thank You, Teachers, August 2020
- Facebook Portal is making families its target audience
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- Figure 11: Portal from Facebook Instagram post, July 2020
- Figure 12: Portal from Facebook – Closer, April 2020
- Disney+ has built itself off of families
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- Figure 13: Start Streaming Now | Disney+, August 2019
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- Figure 14: The One and Only Ivan | Streaming Aug. 21 | Disney+, August 2020
- Big three telecoms make family sharing easy
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- Figure 15: TELUS | Introducing Simple Share and Peace of Mind Plans, July 2019
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Tech ownership and usage among kids
- Concerns about children and tech
- Rules for tech at home
- How COVID-19 impacts family tech
- Using tech to offer parents peace of mind
Tech Ownership and Usage among Kids
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- Device ownership is common among kids
- Most teens have their own smartphones and computers
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- Figure 16: Tech ownership among children, by age of children, June 2020
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- Figure 17: Tech ownership among children aged 13-17, by household income, June 2020
- Bedrooms are a common place for tech in family homes
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- Figure 18: Tech in bedrooms, by age of children, June 2020
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- Figure 19: Watch video content on something other than a TV screen, by age of children, June 2020
- Some children use other people’s tech devices
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- Figure 20: Usage of other people’s tech, by age of children, June 2020
- Kids play an important role in tech purchase decisions
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- Figure 21: Input from children on tech purchases, June 2020
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- Figure 22: Agreement with statement ‘I chose my smartphone with family photo quality in mind’, by age of children, June 2020
Concerns about Children and Tech
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- The most common concerns are about kids’ wellbeing
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- Figure 23: Parental concerns about kids’ tech usage, June 2020
- Online safety is a chief concern for parents
- Parents are more worried about kids being bullied than being the bully
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- Figure 24: Parental concerns about online bullying, by age of children, June 2020
- A fear of online scams and threats is common across all parents
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- Figure 25: Parental concerns about others online, by age of children, June 2020
- Parents of teens worry about the consequences of public social media activity
- Addiction and obsession with tech are real concerns for parents
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- Figure 26: Agreement with statement ‘I worry my child will develop an addiction/obsession with tech’, by age of children, June 2020
- Parents of young children worry about their wallets
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- Figure 27: Parental concerns about unexpected tech costs, by age of children, June 2020
Rules for Tech at Home
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- Parents of young children take more steps to limit tech usage
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- Figure 28: Screen time limits and parental controls, by age of children, June 2020
- Parents want to trust their children
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- Figure 29: Parents keeping in touch/track of teens, parents of 13-17s with own smartphone, June 2020
- In-app purchases often require approval
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- Figure 30: Child needs approval before making in-app purchases, by age of children, June 2020
- Quebec parents have fewer rules around tech
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- Figure 31: Rules for tech at home, Quebec vs overall, June 2020
How COVID-19 Impacts Family Tech
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- Parents are depending on tech to entertain and educate
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- Figure 32: Family entertainment and education during COVID-19, by age of children, June 2020
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- Figure 33: Google Play Twitter post, April 2020
- Many parents are spending money on family tech amid COVID-19
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- Figure 34: Family tech and media purchases during COVID-19, by household income, June 2020
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- Figure 35: Trolls Instagram post, April 2020
- Using tech to connect and socialize
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- Figure 36: Family entertainment and education during COVID-19, Quebec vs overall, June 2020
Using Tech to Offer Parents Peace of Mind
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- Smartphones are a type of security measure
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- Figure 37: Galaxy A: Long Lasting Battery Life, January 2020
- Figure 38: The new iPhone SE – Apple, April 2020
- New innovations that can help parents rest easy
- Smart home technology helps parents protect their families
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- Figure 39: Interested in smart home tech to protect my family, by number of income sources, June 2020
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- Figure 40: Meet the Google Nest Secure alarm system, September 2017
- Cloud services are a safe way to back up family photos and videos
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- Figure 41: Willing to pay for cloud service to back up photos/videos, by age of parent, June 2020
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
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