Study: Kids learn how to use the Web before they than can tie their shoes

January 19, 2011 By Jeffrey Van Camp

Young kids are learning how to play video games and work smartphones before they can bike or even tie their shoelaces, according to a new study.

Though I’m fairly sure I learned to play Super Mario Bros. before I learned to ride a bike without training wheels, it appears my childhood was ahead of the curve. According to a study by AVG, young children are more adept at technology than some basic life skills. In a poll of 2,200 mothers with Internet access and children between 2 and 5 years old, more children knew how to play video games (58 percent) than knew how to ride a bike (43 percent). If riding a bike seems too hard, how about this: more kids know how to play with a smartphone app (19 percent) than tie their own shoelaces (9 percent) or make breakfast.

The study showed that more young children can open a Web browser (25 percent) than swim unaided (20 percent). There is no gender divide either: boys and girls ranked equally in their skills at playing computer games (58 percent boys, 59 percent girls) and making mobile phone calls (28 percent boys, 29 percent girls). The only divide came when comparing U.S. children to other countries. For example, 67 percent of U.S. kids age 2-5 can operate a computer mouse, while more than 78 percent of young French children are capable of the same act. The same goes when comparing other activities like mobile phone calling and playing video games. Some countries have the U.S. handily beat, though no complete statistics were shared.

It seems younger mothers may be putting a greater focus on technology. The study shows that children with mothers age 35 or older tend to be better at most life skills like writing their own name. Young ones with mothers 34 or under tend to rank higher in tech skills.

This study is a part of AVG’s efforts to show how important early tech education is for children. In October, the company released its first batch of information, showing that many babies have online Facebook and other profiles by the time they are six months old.

If these findings are true, I blame the robots. To our readers who have kids: did your children learn tech skills faster than some important life skills? Do you put a bigger emphasis on learning technology?

Showing 2 comments

Mary Fuller Landrie at 7:12am 25th January 2011 My son knew how to make a phone call on my cell, access the games on it, and also access the game sites that I bookmarked for him (for his own internet safety I set up his own bookmark folder and that was ALL I taught him how to access) all by the age of 4. BUT I also made him learn to tie his own shoes (I purposely would NOT buy him shoes with Velcro straps) and he also learned to ride his bike without training wheels and also to swim by that same time. I limit his use of t.v. and computers etc and I make him spend time outside. Ultimately, young children are only going to do what their parents allow them to do, so if they are missing some important life skill then maybe the parents should step up and take responsibility. If you plant your child in front of the tv for hours on end, that is what they know how to do. If you go outside WITH them and do things WITH them like help them ride a bike or swim, then they learn that. Technology is not bad, we just put too much emphasis on it without thinking sometimes.
Rusty Shackleford at 9:10am 19th January 2011 No wonder kids use the web before learning to tie their shoes. Tying your shoes is hard! I recommend the Ian knot: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm