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Schoolchildren are experiencing their last days of school before diving into the deep end of the summer holidays. Some will even hit the road this weekend. What will they be doing during their (long!) journey to their holiday destination? An OpinionWay survey for Tonies, an interactive audio platform for children, reports on their main activities.
“Mom, when are we getting there?“This famous question, which almost all parents have heard during a long car journey, shows how difficult it is to be patient when you are a child.
And this weighs on parents, 85% of whom admit to losing patience on the road because of this, according to the results of an OpinionWay survey for Tonies, the interactive audio platform for children.
Screens, the easy solution found by the majority of parents
So how can we avoid bickering between siblings, requests for pee breaks every ten minutes, or screaming and crying? 60% of parents admit to running out of ideas to keep their children occupied during long car journeys.
Their solution: screens, with 76% of respondents admitting that their offspring will spend at least part of the journey on them, to keep them entertained. Nearly one in two parents even admit that their child will be glued to their screen for more than half the journey time.
Screens (smartphones, tablets or video game consoles) that will remain present even on vacation, because 84% of respondents admit that their dear little ones will also be exposed to them this summer, “on at least one occasion”.
What are the possible alternatives to keep children busy on the road?
Four out of ten parents find it difficult to keep their children occupied during a long car journey. Some parents try certain activities. For example:
- Talking with your children (49%);
- Make them listen to music (47%);
- Marvel at the landscape (38%);
- Give them toys (37%);
- Give them books (37%);
- Play with them (35%);
- Singing together (22%).
Finally, 26% admit to avoiding this moment by travelling at night, thus taking advantage of a quiet journey with sleeping children.
The story box, a solution little used by parents
Parents therefore readily admit that screens of all kinds are practical for keeping children occupied. But many are also aware of their negative consequences on their children, particularly on language acquisition.
For the holidays, a large majority of parents (81%) are looking for alternatives, such as story boxes, to keep children occupied without resorting to screens.
In fact, if they are known, they are still little used on the road to the holidays. Indeed, only 16% today give them a storyteller during long journeys. However, among them, 96% find that it is a good alternative to screens during the summer and even report that their children are asking for it, more than three quarters say that they enjoy listening to the stories of their storyteller.
Slideshow: Digital storyteller: our selection of story boxes for children