Children are the future, as it is said, so traditional brick-and-mortar retailers may be disquieted to know that an increasing number of the younger sect are turning to digital distribution to secure their entertainment pastimes. Such are the findings of market-research and stat-tracking firm The NPD Group, which released the results of its most recent Kids & Digital Content study today.

　　The study, which surveyed thousands of women with children aged 2 to 14, focused on the acquisition of media ranging from games to movies to music videos across four devices: computers, portable digital media players, cell phones, and gaming systems. NPD did not reveal specific figures for an increase in game-related digital downloads, but it did note that music downloads versus brick-and-mortar purchases were up 10 percent from a year ago.

　　Overall usage of gaming consoles, portable media players, and laptops rose as compared to a year ago, according to NPD's survey, thanks primarily to increased usage by those within the 9-14 age group. In particular, gaming has seen widespread adoption among the entire sampled group, with 85 percent of the group using their devices for play. By comparison, 60 percent use the devices for music, roughly 33 percent for videos, and 22 percent for ringtones.

　　"Although the most dramatic increase in usage of these devices happens at about age 9, playing games appears to be an activity that first engages young kids with the digital world," commented NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "Our study finds that 82 percent of kids ages 2 to 5 play games on one or more of the devices surveyed."

　　NPD's study also found that kids are increasingly using devices for tasks outside of their primary purpose. Namely, the research firm found that an increasing amount of cell-phone users were using the device for music and picture sharing. With gaming systems, NPD found that kids within the specified age group spent 12 percent of their time watching movies.