Kids out-smart their parents in tech-filled home
KIDS as young as five are out-smarting their parents when it comes to dealing with technology in the home.
And they’re being dubbed Generation S – Smart – as they’re so savvy with gadgets.
About 44 per cent of Scots kids know more about technology than their parents, while 77 per cent are able to read a smart meter, according to a Scottish Gas survey.
Dr Sam Wass, developmental psychologist at the University of East London, said: “Smart homes are a huge shift for all of us. But this generation of children are acquiring the ability to use these new technologies at a rate that often surpasses their mum and dad.
“Growing up in a home that’s connected and smart, from smart meters to voicecontrolled lights, is fostering a generation of very tech-savvy kids.” As part of the research, the MacFadyen family from Westhill in Aberdeen were filmed tackling a number of technology challenges.
One task was to turn on a tablet using a smart phone app locked with a special code, to test their ability to problem-solve using the technology.
Sisters Isla, nine, and Erin, five, cracked the code and turned on the tablet three minutes faster than mum and dad Susan and John. Susan, 37, said: “It’s interesting to see how our kids are interacting with technology and on a different level to us. Both of our kids are very intrigued by the technology we have at home as well as how this can help us to save energy as a family. As parents, we feel this is extremely important and will continue to encourage our children to think this way.”
About 60 per cent of Scots kids in homes with smart meters take an active interest in saving energy. More than 44 per cent of parents say they would invest in smart home technology if their children explained the benefits, said the research.
John Geen, smart energy expert at Scottish Gas, said: “As children grow up in an increasingly smart home environment, their interest in technology such as smart meters develops much earlier in life. Soon they’ll be running these households more efficiently than their parents.” For more information, go to http://www. scottishgas.co.uk/smart
They are intrigued by technology we have at home