Parents’ Reactions to Descriptions of Children’s Apps: Results From a Parent Survey Experiment

• In Event: It's Hard Out There for a Parent: Negotiating the Child's Media Landscape

Abstract

Prior research indicates variation in the amount and nature of information presented in market descriptions of children’s apps (e.g., in iTunes), although little is known about how specific information may influence parents’ perceptions and purchase decisions. An online survey experiment was conducted with 1,186 parents of children ages 3-6. Participants viewed one of eight app descriptions, varying in the presence of educational benchmarks (e.g., efficacy testing), quality teaching techniques (e.g., requiring user to think), and consumer popularity (e.g., average rating). Findings suggest parent characteristics (e.g., education, income, beliefs in the educational potential of apps) had greater impact on the amount parents were willing to pay for the app than did the cues about educational benchmarks, quality of teaching, and popularity. Perceptions of the app’s entertainment value for young children were more consequential for the amount parents would pay for the app than were perceptions of its educational value.

Authors

• Sarah Vaala, Joan Ganz Cooney Center

• Tamara Spiewak Toub, Joan Ganz Cooney Center

• Elisabeth McClure, Joan Ganz Cooney Center