Kids Age 6-12, Parents, and Social Media

No surprise: kids age 6-12, who are in the process of expanding their social circles outside of their families, are interested in (and often active on) online social media, according to Donna Sabino of Ipsos, reporting on Ipsos MediaCT's syndicated LMX Family Study data.
The study measures adoption of and adaptation to new media and technology by kids and parents.
Even though most social networking sites don't allow members under age 13, most kids do have access to a host of Internet-enabled devices, including the following, Ipsos reports:
Below, additional findings from Ipsos's LMX Family Study.

Some 42% of kids age 6-12 have used those devices have visited a social network site, and 71% of those kids—or 29% of kids age 6-12—have an account on a social network site.
Not surprisingly, the oldest kids are more likely than the youngest ones to have a social networking profile.
- Among all kids, Facebook is by far the most popular social network, followed by Twitter and Google+.
- Girls are more apt to use Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace than are boys; boys are more apt to use Google+ than are girls.
- Some 20% of kids who own a mobile device (e.g., smartphone and iPad) have a social network app on those devices.

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Social media marketers targeting kids aged 6-12 need to remember two things:
1. Use social media for brand building, not e-commerce. Since 6-12 year olds don't have credit cards, the best you can do is to influence the customer and build your brand, not drive a direct response.
2. Develop apps and games that will keep kids coming back for more! If you have a physical product (like a toy), connect your product with your social media presence by having a secret PIN on each toy they can enter online to gain more points, rewards, etc. This will help drive sales and increase brand loyalty.
For ad targeting options, remember to target the age group of 13+, since many 10-12 year olds will be "claiming" they are around Facebook's minimum age limit.
Isn't Facebook's minimum age 13? So all of these parent are ok with lying about their kids' age to set up these profiles? Wow.