The majority (79%) of kids age 2-14 have purchased some form of physical or digital content in the past year, with 31 percent acquiring both physical and digital content, according to a new report from The NPD Group.

Video rental services and online music services were the most popular among kids ages 2-14 in the past year, with 19 percent using an in-store video rental service, 12 percent using an online video rental service, and 14 percent using an online music service. Paid subscriptions to online video game rental services and paid subscriptions to online gaming websites ranked among the lowest.

Forty-one percent of kids who own some form of digital content said music was the first type of content they downloaded, with 38 percent saying it was game downloads.  The average age when kids make their first digital purchase is 7 years old. Girls are more likely to download single songs and also slightly more likely than boys to first buy ringtones.

Anita Frazier

"Forty-three percent of digital downloaders were six years old or younger when they acquired their first digital content," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group.

"Since parents are the first touch point for children this age, it is important for companies to develop marketing strategies that reach parents as well as kids."

The report found digital content to be an additional source kids turn to when they want to supplement their physical collections, which is supported by the fact that less than 1 percent of kids only purchased digital content.  In terms of money spent on this content by kids, $0.85 of every content dollar spent went to physical items, while $0.15 went to digital.
 

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