Latest research 2026
What’s in the Box? The Christmas Device Study 2026
The Christmas Device Study 2026 explores how Australian parents are weighing up devices, readiness and the handover this Christmas.
We surveyed 1,039 Australian parents and carers of children aged 5 to 14 in early October 2026, focusing on which devices they’re considering, what makes a device feel like the right next step, how they judge readiness, and what support they want around the handover.
The study is a standalone piece of research published by the Digital Readiness Lab. It complements the Australian Digital Readiness Index and uses the same Digital Readiness framework, but it is a separate study with a different sample.
Published · Last reviewed · Approved by Dr Sarah L. Howe
1,039
Parents and carers
5-14
Children’s age
Early Oct 2026
Fieldwork window
Online survey
Conducted by Pureprofile
Parent reported
and cross-sectional study design
Thinking about and seriously considering a device does not mean a child will definitely receive one.
The research showed
74%
of parents and carers of children aged 5 to 14 are weighing up a device for their child this Christmas.
Read the findingsWhat we wanted to understand
What the Christmas Device Study set out to explore
Christmas can bring a device decision into focus. The study looked at what drives that decision, how parents think about readiness, and what support might make the handover easier.
- 01
What makes a device feel like the right next step?
What are parents weighing up when considering a device, from age and school milestones to safety, independence and what their child has shown they can do?
- 02
Which devices are families considering?
How do smartphones, tablets and other devices fit into different family decisions, and what does each device represent for a child’s growing independence?
- 03
How do parents judge readiness?
What makes a parent feel their child is ready for a device, and how does that compare with the specific Digital Readiness capabilities they report seeing?
- 04
How are families preparing for the handover?
When will rules or agreements be sorted, who will set up parental controls, and how confident do parents feel about putting them in place?
- 05
What makes handing over more independence difficult?
What concerns make greater digital independence feel harder for parents, even when the practical reasons for a device are clear?
- 06
What support do parents want?
Where do parents want guidance, who do they trust to provide it, and what kinds of practical tools would they actually use before and after a device arrives?
What the findings mean
The device is only part of the handover
A phone can start to feel like the practical next step before a family feels fully prepared for everything that comes with it.
Parents may want their child to be easier to reach, travel more independently, or stay connected as their world gets bigger. But handing over a device also means thinking about what happens online, and the rules, settings, boundaries, judgement, and support a child may need as they gain more independence. A smartphone in particular can open up a broader, less visible digital world.
The research doesn’t point to one perfect moment, rule or tool. It points to the value of giving families more support before, during and after a new device arrives.
What this could mean for organisations
Digital Readiness has to exist everywhere childhood happens. Parents have an important role, but they’re not the only people shaping a child’s digital life.
The findings raise practical questions for organisations around families about how they can make the handover clearer, better supported, and easier to navigate.
Retailers and phone companies
Can trusted support be easier to find when families buy?
4 in 10 parents want guidance when they buy a device, but relatively few name the shop or their phone or internet company as their most trusted sources.
There may be an opportunity to connect families with clear, independent guidance at the point of purchase, while recognising that trust has to come with it.
Device makers and platforms
Can settings be easier to understand and adjust over time?
Almost every parent expects parental controls or family settings on a new device, but only around half feel very or completely confident they know how to set the device up safely.
The findings raise questions about how controls, settings and safeguards could be easier to understand, set up and adapt as a child gains more independence.
Schools and educators
Can families be supported before a phone starts to feel urgent?
Starting high school can make a phone feel timely, but for some families the smartphone conversation begins years earlier.
Schools may have an opportunity to help families think through devices, boundaries and growing independence before the decision becomes pressing.
Government and online-safety organisations
Can trusted guidance reach families at the right moment?
Government and eSafety are among the sources parents say they would trust most for guidance.
The findings raise the question of how to make practical support easier to find while families weigh up a device, prepare for it, and decide how much independence to hand over.
The wider family
Can everyone involved in the gift be part of the handover?
For some families, a grandparent, relative, or someone else outside the household is also giving their child a device.
That raises a practical question: how can guidance reach the wider family too, so the people involved in giving a device understand the settings, boundaries, and support that may need to sit around it?
Methodology + research team
How we did the research
The Christmas Device Study surveyed 1,039 Australian parents and carers of children aged 5 to 14 through the Pureprofile online panel in early October 2026. Each parent or carer answered about one child.
Of those, 769 were planning or considering a device this Christmas and completed the full survey. The remaining 270 completed a shorter set of questions about their child and their device decisions.
The study is parent-reported, cross-sectional research, which means it captures what families were thinking and planning at one point in time.
What to keep in mind
The findings reflect what parents reported before Christmas, not which devices children ultimately received or what happened once they were in use. The research can show patterns and associations between responses, but it can’t tell us that one thing caused another. The sample was not weighted, so the findings describe the families who took part rather than all Australian families.
Who’s behind the study?
Developmental research psychologist
Dr Sarah L. Howe
Dr Sarah L. Howe, developmental research psychologist, was engaged independently by the Digital Readiness Lab to design and analyse the study.
Research partner
Pureprofile
The Christmas Device Study was conducted by Pureprofile in early October 2026.
The lab behind the study
Digital Readiness Lab
The Christmas Device Study is published by the Digital Readiness Lab as part of its work defining, measuring and building Digital Readiness for Australian children.
Methodology and data
Sample size
1,039 Australian parents and carers of children aged 5 to 14.
Study design
Online, parent-reported, cross-sectional study.
Fieldwork
Early October 2026.
Fieldwork provider
Pureprofile online panel.
How respondents answered
Each parent or carer answered about one child aged 5 to 14.
Survey routes
769 parents were planning or considering a device and completed the full survey. The other 270 weren’t planning a device this Christmas and completed a shorter set of questions.
Analysis
The study examines patterns and associations between parent-reported responses. It doesn’t establish causation.
Weighting
The sample wasn’t weighted, so the figures describe the families who took part rather than all Australian families.
Reporting
No result is shown for groups of fewer than 60 parents.
Limitations
The study captures what parents were considering and preparing for before Christmas. It can’t tell us which devices families ultimately gave, how children used them afterwards, or whether any particular approach led to better outcomes.
Research context
A separate study, shared framework
The Christmas Device Study is a standalone study that complements the Australian Digital Readiness Index and uses the same Digital Readiness framework. It’s a separate piece of research with a different sample.
From evidence to action
Work with the Lab on this evidence
The Christmas Device Study raises practical questions for the organisations shaping children’s digital lives.
The Digital Readiness Lab works with organisations to understand those questions, build the evidence around them and turn research into practical action.
Research with us
Explore a Digital Readiness question relevant to your organisation, sector or community through independent research.
Understand your readiness
Look at how your organisation, product or service shapes children’s digital lives and where there may be opportunities to support Digital Readiness better.
Build with us
Use research and evidence to inform products, programmes and practical support designed around children’s Digital Readiness.
Measure what changes
Build measurement into the work to understand what’s changing, where progress is being made and where gaps remain.
Government and systems partnerships
Work with the Lab on evidence-led initiatives that support Digital Readiness across communities, services and systems.
Reference + related research
Explore the research
How to cite the study
Christmas Device Study 2026: What’s in the Box? Digital Readiness Lab, 2026.
Related research
Australian Digital Readiness Index 2026
The Australian Digital Readiness Index is a separate study of Australian parents and carers, each reporting on one child aged 9 to 14. It measures children’s Digital Readiness and the conditions around them, as reported by parents.
What is Digital Readiness?
Digital Readiness is about the capabilities children develop, and the conditions that support them, as they move toward greater digital independence. In simple terms: can they work out what’s true online, put a device down when it’s time, and turn to a parent when something goes wrong?
Questions about the Christmas Device Study
The Christmas Device Study looks at how Australian parents and carers are thinking about devices ahead of Christmas: which devices they’re considering, what makes a device feel timely, how they think about readiness, how they’re preparing for the handover, and what support they want.
1,039 Australian parents and carers of children aged 5 to 14 took part in an online survey in early October 2026. Each parent or carer answered about one child.
No. The study found that milestones such as starting high school can make a phone feel like the practical next step, but those milestones aren’t the same as evidence that a child is ready for greater online independence.
No. Parents answered one broad question about how ready they felt their child was for a device, along with separate questions about self-regulation, critical judgement, and help-seeking.
These measures aren’t combined into a single readiness score, and the study doesn’t label individual children as ready or not ready.
The study was designed and analysed by Dr Sarah L. Howe, a developmental research psychologist, engaged independently by the Digital Readiness Lab. The fieldwork was conducted by Pureprofile.
It complements the Australian Digital Readiness Index and uses the same Digital Readiness framework, but it’s a separate study with a different sample.
Yes, absolutely. Organisations can reference the published findings using the approved citation.
When using statistics, the relevant population or base should be clear, and findings shouldn’t be presented as evidence of causation or as an assessment of an individual child’s readiness.
For journalists
Media enquiries
For research enquiries, data clarification or comment from the Digital Readiness Lab:
media@digitalreadinesslab.com.auRequest research or comment →Journalist summary
74% of the 1,039 Australian parents and carers surveyed were planning or considering a device for their child this Christmas.
Source: Christmas Device Study 2026, Digital Readiness Lab.
Sources
- 1.What’s in the Box? Christmas Device Study 2026, Digital Readiness Lab.
- 2.Australian Digital Readiness Index 2026, Digital Readiness Lab, where referenced for context or comparison.
About this page
The Christmas Device Study 2026 is a parent-reported, cross-sectional study published by the Digital Readiness Lab. It was designed and analysed by Dr Sarah L. Howe, a developmental research psychologist, engaged independently by the Digital Readiness Lab. Fieldwork was conducted by Pureprofile in early October 2026. The study captures what parents and carers were considering and preparing for before Christmas. Findings describe patterns and associations at one point in time and should not be interpreted as evidence that one factor caused another.