When middle-age arrives, watching TV on a tablet gets more appealing.
According to Nielsen, nearly 58% of people age 35-49 in the US consumed media on a tablet in the second quarter of 2017, the latest data it tracks on the subject. This was more than double the share of people 50 or older, and also well above the share of people age 18-34 who use tablets.
What’s more, the generational gap in tablet use is growing. In 2015, tablet use was only slightly higher in the 35-49 group than it was for 18-34 year-olds.
Perhaps, parents in the 35-49 age group are behind these trends. A report from the nonprofit Common Sense Media finds that over 40% of kids under eight had their own tablet in 2017. Kids famously go into rapture when they see a tablet, and when they (finally) go to sleep and parents retire to their bedroom, using the device to relax and catch up with Game of Thrones is just as blissful.