NPD: Girls Move from Toys to Games and Virtual Worlds as They Grow

Over 50% of girls aged 2-14 are spending more time using consumer electronic devices and playing PC and console games than they were in 2007, according to a new NPD report, "Girl Power: Understanding This Important Consumer Segment." While girls 2-5 emphasize play with toys, notes the NPD, girls 6-8 "are more inclined to play with board games, arts & crafts, and virtual world games." Oddly, girls 9-12 are still spending more time with traditional toys, but migrating to video games with special attention to virtual worlds. The information is based on a survey of 1,541  moms with daughters in the target age range. Earlier this month, a new Pew study showed that 10% of American teens were involved in virtual worlds.

“Girls, in general, are famously social creatures,” Anita Frazier, NPD industry analyst, said in a statement.  “The growth in use of social networking and virtual world websites by girls is a natural extension of this core value which needs to be recognized by manufacturers who count girls as primary market for their goods and services.”