Parents will 'go without' so kids get latest tech gadgets, study claims

Sky high price tags mean some parents will save all year round to buy latest products for their offspring

The costly price of high tech gadgets is putting parents under pressure (AFP)

More than half of parents struggle to keep up with the costs of the latest technology for their kids, it has emerged.

Of 2,000 parents polled, one third admitted “going without” themselves in order to buy the latest products for their children.

The study also found 37 per cent save all year to ensure their little ones have the same high-tech gadgets as their mates.

But while eight in 10 parents feel ‘under pressure’ to make sure their kid has the latest technology, seven in 10 have refused to buy brand new due to the sky-high price tags.

And 38 per cent have opted for refurbished kit instead.

It also emerged seven in 10 believe technology is too expensive a gift to buy for children, and a fifth report their child wants to upgrade their phone every 18 months.

When buying refurbished technology, more than a third of parents kept the fact the gadget wasn’t brand new and box-fresh a secret from their kids, in case they turned their noses up.

And almost four in 10 don’t want their kids to know their parents struggle to afford the latest gadgets.

People reckon they saved themselves on average £102 the last time they bought a refurbished product compared to a brand new one – and the majority of parents think their children wouldn’t know the difference anyway.

Two in five parents don’t think refurbished technology products look any different to a brand-new purchase.

Smartphones and tablets were revealed as the gadgets most likely to be bought refurbished, according to the research conducted via OnePoll.

This was followed by games consoles like PlayStations and Xboxes, and a quarter would be happy to buy a refurbished laptop.

They would also expect a piece of refurbished technology to last them just under a year and a half before it needed replacing – or upgrading – again.

But some of the top reasons parents wouldn’t opt for an as-new gadget include not being able to trust where it came from, worrying about it breaking too soon and that the kids won’t like it.

Four in 10 respondents also fear their refurbished gadget won’t be as good in quality as something bought brand new.

The research was conducted by site musicMagpie.

A spokesman, Liam Howley, said: “Technology moves at a frightening pace.

“What was once the cutting edge of the industry can find itself next to obsolete within the space of months – and even weeks in some cases.

“It can be hard enough even keeping up with the latest advances in technology, let alone having the cash to upgrade all your own gear.”

SWNS