July 25, 2017
Millennials have a Netflix account. Gen Z is playing video games.
More Americans are using more devices, regardless of age. Which age group is most keen on what varies and could have a profound effect on the future of devices.
In general, smartphones are the most pervasive technology measured among all age groups, according to new data from measurement company Nielsen, which tracks American households that have TVs.
Seventy-three percent of people aged 2 to 20, known as Generation Z, have video game consoles, 7 percentage points more than the next-most-likely gamers, millennials. Generation Z is also fondest of tablets, with 78 percent having one in their homes. But as Gen Z is still so young, it’s possible they’ll lessen their video game and tablet habits as they grow up. People between 2 and 20 account for 26 percent of Americans and is the most racially diverse age group.
Millennials (age 21-37) are the most likely to have access to video-on-demand services like Netflix. Relatedly, they’re most likely to own multimedia devices — technology like Chromecast or Apple TV that streams online content onto TVs.
PCs are most popular among Generation X (age 38-52), 85 percent of whom have one in their homes.
The only device measured that saw substantial declines among all age groups was, unsurprisingly, DVD players. Still, DVD players are available in 62 percent (millennials) to 81 percent (boomers, age 53-70) of households.
Smart TVs and multimedia devices are the least pervasive gadgets among all age groups, but they’re still relatively new. They also have very high growth rates (24 percent to 31 percent year over year).
