Buying a PC? Cellphone? Consult your child

SHOPPING: Children play the role of "information providers" for high-end products, says survey.

Children, it seems, have said good-bye to their childhood games. They have entered into a new realm. Believe it or not, they are increasingly advising their parents on buying computers and cellphones. They have assumed the role of active consultants.

Notably, tech-savvy South Indian youngsters show a greater desire for features like Bluetooth, memory card and the Internet whereas children in the rest of the country show interest in camera, games and ring tones. Around 18 per cent of the parents surveyed turned to their children for information on computers.

According to a research report by Disney's KidSense, conducted by IMRB International, children play the role of "information providers" for high-end products such as mobile phones.

Almost 56 per cent of children in India claim that their parents frequently follow their choice when buying mobile handsets while 76 per cent exhibit high involvement in mobile phone preferences.

However, it is not just the brand that impresses them. The top three mobile phone features that attract youngsters are camera (69 per cent), games (62 per cent) and colour display screen (61 per cent).

And that's not all, functional features like video capture facility are sought by 47 per cent of children, 35 per cent seek Internet/GPRS facilities while 30 per cent prefer Bluetooth on their parents' handsets.

Llyod Mathias, director, marketing (mobile devices), Motorola, says, "For children mobiles are a way of life." The company agrees that youngsters have a lot of say when it comes to influencing parents, and thus has started airing its ads on children's favourite TV channels.

Among all the product categories, mobile phone advertisements are the most watched by children (92 per cent). These advertisements also form one of the most discussed category among children, at around 58 per cent.

In the case of computers, 53 per cent of children claimed that they liked to watch computer advertisements on television, while 31 per cent said they discussed computer commercials with their parents.

The younger generation finds games to be the most important computer feature, while older children attach more importance to utilities like the latest software, high storage capacity and USB connection on the machines.

"Tech-savvy children demand a lot from their machines "" from gaming to surfing the Internet, from watching and downloading movies to streaming videos and music," says George Van Der Merwe, COO, Sahara Computers.

The company has launched multimedia capable desktops like the Spectra Media Centre PC that focuses on movie and video streaming habits of young consumers.

Children in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore displayed higher levels of involvement across markets than their counterparts in tier-1 cities. According to a survey, one in four children accompanied their parents while buying a computer.

According to Andrew Tsui, managing director, Asus India, Asus Eee PC 701 notebook could prove to be a benchmark for teenaged consumers.

"This will be our answer for the demand among the younger generation for a multimedia machine that can enable picture sharing, play music with just one click and browse the Internet through either Wi-Fi or broadband connection," Tsui says.