The majority of mobile entertainment devices used by parents and kids have fewer than 20 applications that have been downloaded specifically for a child, with 7 percent having more than 60 applications for a child.

Those figures are according to the latest report from market research company The NPD Group, ?Kids' Mobile Entertainment & Apps.? The study found that while mobile devices have many features that appeal to consumers of all ages, mobile games dominates kids? application usage, followed by music. 

?The mobile apps and gaming space is new,? said Anita Frazier, industry analyst at NPD, Port Washington, NY. ?There is always ramp-up when something is new and folks are in acquisition mode.

?As this area matures, it will be the truly innovative breakout apps that get attention,? she said.

An online survey was fielded to members of NPD?s Online panel.

The survey was sent to a pre-identified sample of parents who own the measured devices?iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, BlackBerry and other smartphones?as well as a pre-identified sample of households with kids who use one of the measured devices.

Respondents were qualified for device ownership and for having a child ages 0 to 14 who uses one of these devices.

All surveys were conducted from June 18 through July 28 of this year. Final data includes 1,043 completed surveys from kids that use one of the measured devices.

Apps for kids
For kids, gaming is the most popular type of application downloaded, with the average device used by a child containing approximately 10 gaming-related applications, according to NPD.

Despite the popularity of gaming applications, music dominates when it comes to overall downloading, with games coming in at a distant second place, and video falling in third place.

More than half of all downloads are music-related, commanding 61 percent of all child-related downloads to a mobile entertainment device.

The remaining types of downloads, which include ringtones, TV shows and movies, make up less than 10 percent of all downloading activity.

Paid versus free
Ms. Frazier said that free is key.

The most common place for kids to use these devices is in their own home, and Ms. Frazier believes free content is cannibalizing sales in many entertainment-related industries.

While these types of gaming experiences are not as immersive as those available for console or portable systems, they are competing for time and dollars spent among the much broader casual gaming audience, and for time spent involved in other categories of entertainment.

Despite some prevailing notions that many applications are used once and then deleted or forgotten, most kids will reuse the same application many times.

Only about 1 percent reported abandoning applications after one use.

According to the report, 82 percent of all applications downloaded for children were free.

However, those who have purchased an application for their child are willing to spend almost twice as much as they are currently spending, with the willingness to pay for an application among device users increasing with the age of the child.

?I found it really interesting that parents indicated they'd be willing to pay more than they actually did for their last download,? Ms. Frazier said. ?The highest amount parents said they'd be willing to pay was about 70 percent more than what they spent on their last paid download.?

Free and inexpensive applications are big motivators for downloads, with 75 percent of respondents saying the free nature of many applications is the single highest motivating factor driving acquisition.

Other motivators include recommendations by family and friends, children?s desire for the application, and the applications' affiliation with a character or personality.

"There is tremendous opportunity for companies to offer branded apps or games as an engagement tool," Ms. Frazier said. "Our report found that entertainment game apps were the most highly sought after apps by kids.

"Kids are looking to be entertained and companies can make a connection with kids, and their parents, by offering entertaining, inexpensive and engaging applications for these smart devices," she said.

Final Take