Russian Parents Embrace Digital Media for Entertainment and Education

The Digital Parenting Russia I

How Russian Parents View and Capitalize on Digital Media.

Roman Ravve

May 2012
Anketki Research

DigitalParentingRussia.com

(c) Anketki Research, 2012. All rights reserved.

For such digital products as mobile apps, video games, and interactive books, it is
crucial to understand what role they play in family life, which advantages they have
for parents and which for children. Do they pull families together or disunite them?
Also, what impact do the traditional believes about parents’ roles and technological
influence on the child’s development have on the use of digital products?

This report shows potential opportunities that new media keeps for everyday
practices of parenting.

For more information, visit http://www.digitalparentingrussia.com

The reproduction of this report or its parts is permitted and encouraged but only with
a reference to the Digital Parenting Russia Study’s website.


ANKETKI Anketki Research – young people’s digital behavior data and
analysis focusing on the former USSR countries. From social
RESEARCH
networking to cellphone communication and other new media
consumption – how this impact their identity, relationships and
life.
http://anketki.ru/research_eng

The Digital Parenting Russia Study monitors how parents in Russia
take advantage of digital media. What they think, what they buy
and how they perceive the digital impact on their children’s
development, education, social skills and family relationships.
http://digitalparentingrussia.com


CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
KEY FINDINGS

DEVICES
PARENTS VIEW
DIGITAL BABYSITTING
SHARED ACTIVITY
APPS
DIGITAL GAP

Methodology
Quick facts about Russia
Credits


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Currently, 30 million children live in Russia. Although the Smartphone/tablet penetration remains low
(and is mostly concentrated in 2 capital cities), these digital devices rush into children’s life.

Russian parenting has it's own unique pattern formed by traditional views on a parent-child relationships
and by intergenerational family life.

The significant amount of early childhood time is ruled by grandparents generation that is habitually the
most reluctant to embrace technologies. In contrast, the young parents are usually eager users of new
media, so the overall digital penetration in Russia is among the highest in the world reaching 80% in major
cities.

Because of Russia’s large geographical area, there is a huge regional gap in access to consumer electronics
and broadband speed. There is more then 16 times difference in the broadband speed and rates
difference between Central and Far Eastern regions, being faster and cheaper in Central*.

With a high projection for both GDP dynamics, e-commerce growth and 3G coverage expansion, forecasts
are advantageous. By 2014, the Internet penetration is expected to reach 70%* of the population; the
children’s products market is expected to grow by 30%*.

*Go to “Quick facts about Russia” section


KEY FINDINGS
Since inter-generational family life is highly widespread, for preschoolers much time is spent with
both grandmothers and mothers alike; this has significantly influenced the media usage. Older kids
spend more time with their fathers and consequently, become exposed to the fathers’ media
preferences.

New media clearly becoming a Digital Babysitter with more then 65% of parents use the media for
preoccupying their kids while doing their home chores, entertaining during trips or child’s physician
visits.

Russian fathers show more enthusiasm for digital media usage with children as opposed to Russian
mothers, who prefer traditional media (TV, books, spoken word, Music, etc). E-books, mobile apps
and online games are more frequently used and popular among male parents who show real
enthusiasm about digital potential in connection to child’s development.

The digital gap between poor and wealthy parents is significant in terms of both children’s access
towards devices and attitudes towards technology. Higher income families see more positive impact
of digital media and childhood development.

Educational apps and creativity based mobile applications have more potential for shared time than
gaming applications. Still, gaming applications rate higher on the popularity scale.

Online Search has become the most popular shared activity for high school aged children and their
parents. The search for content and information via the Internet has exceeded even watching of TV.


DEVICES
Almost 90% of children use cell phones while 80% use desktop computers on a regular basis.

With the exception of cell phones and computers, all devices are less widespread in small cities. The gap
between wealthy and poor families is as significant as city size. Specifically, children from more wealthy
families have more access to gaming consoles.

Fathers are more likely to indicate children’s technology usage. Men seem more likely to provide children
with access to these devices.
What your child use regularly?, %
Dumbphone Computer Game console Smartphone Tablet
94
89 87 89 90
82

67
59

38 38 35 35
32
27 28 25
21
14 15 12 14
10 9 10
6

0-3s 4-6s 7-10s 11-15s 16-18s
Source: Digital Parenting Russia Study, March 2012. 3833 online-parents with kids from 0
to 18 in cities 100000+


PARENTS VIEW

Russian fathers show more enthusiasm for
digital media usage with children as opposed to
Russian mothers who prefer traditional media
(TV, books, spoken word, Music, etc)

E-books, mobile apps and online games are more
frequently used and popular among male
parents, who show heightened enthusiasm with
digital potential in connection to child’s
development.

Men are more likely to use digital media with
children both for purposes of entertaining them
or keeping quiet.

Source: Digital Parenting Russia Study, March 2012. 3833
online-parents with kids from 0 and older in cities 100000+


DIGITAL BABYSITTER

Digital media is doing a great job in keeping Common situations of digital media usage intended to
children quiet & entertained while parents do preoccupy children, %
home chores, for physician visits, etc. with
65% of parents admitting their use of some
While completing home chores 65
digital media for distracting their children.

Fathers are more likely to distract children In a public transport 55
with digital media, as opposed to mothers,
whom are more likely to use Television and In child's physician office or barber shop 49
Music.
In a supermarket, drug store, etc. 38
Babies and toddlers are mostly entertained
with audio and video, and for older children
On a playground or park 25
games and educational apps are becoming
more effective in holding their attention.
Source: Digital Parenting Russia Study, March 2012. 3833 online-
parents with kids from 0 and older in cities 100000+


SHARED ACTIVITY

What media do you use together with the children?,
Beginning in the middle school period, %
traditional media such as TV, board games
and paper books are significantly less 90%
likely to be involved in a parent-child 80%
Internet Search
shared activity. In lieu of these traditional
media, the proportional usage of E-Books, 70%
Music
mobile apps and web search is increasing 60%
more and more. Paper books
50%

Exceeding even Television, searching the 40% Creativity
Internet has become the most popular software on PC
30%
shared activity for high-school children.
E-Books
20%

10% PC or online
0% games
4-6 7-10 11-15 16-18

Source: Digital Parenting Russia Study, March 2012.
3833 online-parents with kids from 0 and older in
cities 100000+


MOBILE APPS

Smartphone Tablet
About 90% of children who use smartphones
Games
and tablets, have some experience with
educational and creativity based applications Often 72
71
and more then one third of these kids use Sometimes 910
them frequently.
Math, literacy, memory, etc.
Still, games are way more popular with more
then 70% of kids who use them often. 38
Often 43
But in the context of shared digital time, Sometimes 24
15
educational and creativity based mobile apps
are more popular then games, even so the
general popularity of mobile games are way
Painting, Music, etc.
too higher than educational.
Often 34
45

Sometimes 24
18

Source: Digital Parenting Russia Study, March 2012. 1458 online-
parents with kids from 0 to 18, that children use smartphone/tablet, in
cities 100000+


DIGITAL GAP

Wealthy/Poor gap in digital parent-child time, % difference
The gap between wealthy and poor parents
Everything but the house Everyting but the car
is significant not only in terms of children’s
Meal and dress but nothing more Meal but no dress
access to devices, but also in their attitudes
towards technology. Higher income families
12.33
tend to see more positive impact of the 0.53
E-Books
digital media on kids development. -4.7
-9.4

Except of cell phones and computers, all 13.3
devices are less widespread in small cities. 0.1
-5.5 Game console
-7.9
The TV and Paper Book popularity is virtually
equal among all income populations. Still -1.42
2.38
the difference in E-Books and Game console -0.82 Paper books
ownership among wealthy and poor families -0.12

is significant.
3.33
-3.37
-0.87 TV
0.93

Source Digital Parenting Russia Study, March 2012. 3833 online-
parents with kids from 0 and older in cities 100000+


CREDITS

This report has been produced with a generous help of Articul Media Group.

Our great thanks to Greg Zawazki for good advices.

(c) Anketki Research, 2012. All rights reserved

Download a full-text PDF of this report on www.digitalparentingrussia.com


Methodology

The Digital Parenting Russia I report was prepared on the basis of the initiative survey conducted
by Anketki Research and its partners in March, 2012.

The survey involved 3833 parents between 18 and 55 years old, with kids from 0 and older in
cities with more then 100,000 inhabitants.

This survey was performed online and involved the members of predefined online-panel.

Online panels are the communities of people who agreed to participate in the regular online
surveys.


QUICK FACTS ABOUT RUSSIA

CHILDREN POPULATION AND THE BIRTH RATE
DEVICE PENETRATION IN A WHOLE COUNTRY
INTERNET PENETRATION AND BROADBAND ACCESS
E-COMMERCE AND RETAIL


30 million of Russian inhabitants are under age 19. For every 1 child in Russia
there are 3 adults.


The birth rate in the post-Soviet Russia fell dramatically, but in the last
decade we can see a kind of positive trend.

Birth rate in Russia, 2011 (newborns on 1000 inhabitants)
15.9 Soviet Union Collapse
14.6
13.4
12.1 12.4 12.5 12.6
11.3
10.2 10.4
9.3 8.7

1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Source: Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation (Goskomstat)


21 mln. of Russians access Internet on their mobile devices. “Smart”
devices growing at the 3% a year.


With 60 mln. of Internet users, Russia is a second online population in
Europe.


Low and decreasing broadband rates along with the increase of
broadband speed spur rapid growth of Internet penetration in Russia.


Still, the gap between country regions remains significant. The
broadband speed and cost in the Central and Far Eastern Regions
differ more then 10 times…


Russian retail is growing and evaluated in $650 bln. E-Commerce is
growing rapidly but its share is remains 1,8%.

Russian retail market growth, %

50%

35%
30% 30%
25%
16% 14%
6% 7%
-5%

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Brick & Mortar E-commerce


40% of online shoppers and 60% of E-commerce revenue
generates in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.

. Saint Petersburg
.Moscow


Kids products is the fastest growing category of Russian non-food retail
segment, up to 29% a year. But still, only 4% of the Kids products was
sold online in 2011.

Non-food segment of Russian retail growth potential for 2012, %

Kids 29%

Sport & Recreation 18%

Consumer Electronics 17%

Jewelry & Watches 15%

Furniture 15%

Home & DIY 12%


DIGITAL PARENTING RUSSIA STUDY

Сhildren, parents, Internet and digital devices in
Russia. Stats, facts and insight.

FOLLOW UP

Twitter: @digitalparentru
facebook: DigitalParentingRussia
Slideshare: digitalparentingrussia

CONTACT

contact@digitalparentingrussia.com
+1(587)336.33.96


Russian Parents Embrace Digital Media for Entertainment and Education

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