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Study: Young Kids Have Better Tech Knowledge Than Adults

A recent study by the “communication watchdog” Ofcom says that six year-olds have a better “digital quotient” than forty-five year-olds. In other words, they’re a lot better with modern technology. The Guardian reports:

Among six to seven year olds, who have grown up with YouTube, Spotify music streaming and the BBC iPlayer, the average DQ (digital quotient) score was 98, higher than for those aged between 45 and 49, who scored an average of 96. Digital understanding peaks between 14 and 15, with a DQ of 113 – and then drops gradually throughout adulthood, before falling rapidly in old age.

While half of all adults claimed to know a lot about smartphone and tablet apps, nearly half had never heard of Snapchat, the picture messaging service launched in 2011. The smart glasses being developed by Google, and the smart watch Apple is expected to launch before the end of the year, are also something of a mystery to older technology users, with nearly half of all adults unaware of these devices.

More than half of children aged 6-15 claim to use and know a lot about smartphone and tablet apps, with only 3% having never heard of them. Snapchat is particularly popular, with 18% of children claiming to have used the app and a further 11% knowing a lot about it.

This doesn’t surprise me in the least. My daughter isn’t quite a millenial, but by the time she was six she was a wizard with technology. By the time she was in high school, I — and I consider myself pretty darn tech savvy — was going to her with computer and smartphone applications questions.

And I still do!

Read the full article here.

h/t to Education News.org

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Dave has been writing about education, politics, and entertainment for over 20 years, including a stint at the popular media bias site Newsbusters. He is a retired educator with over 25 years of service and is a member of the National Association of Scholars. Dave holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Delaware.