76 per cent kids aged between eight and 10 prefer real world contact, as opposed to only 46 per cent of teenagers aged 14-16, the statement added. 44 per cent of young people say they use a connected device because their friends do, and one third of kids (32 per cent) prefer to keep in touch with friends online rather than thriugh direct contact.The importance attributed to online friendships is as much as real world friendships for many children. The research also reveals that the older children get, the less likely they are to meet friends face-to-face, preferring to use instant messengers, social networks and SMS to communicate. 42 per cent children claimed that they are equally afraid to lose friends online or from real world contact, and 11 said they are more afraid to lose friends online.Use of modern communication platforms is a major online activity for young people, including social media (35 per cent) and messaging apps (35 per cent). The research also revealed that 27 per cent parents provide their children with connected devices because of concerns that their child would be treated as an outsider without them.Kids are increasingly using connected devices as means of communicating with their friends and peer pressure is playing a role in pushing modern friendships online.

Source: Times of India June 11, 2016 15:56 UTC