Appetite for online retail sites among kids grows threefold: Study

Moscow: More children are taking to e-commerce sites for looking at products (and sometimes buying) as new research by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has found that the interest of children in online shopping has more than tripled in the last 12 months -- from two per cent to nine per cent.

According to the statistics, youngsters' growing interest in e-commerce sites is a global trend, however the extent varies depending on location, said the Kaspersky Lab's annual report on kids' safety. 

At 23 per cent, the largest share (and also biggest growth) in online shopping searches has been seen in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the findings showed.

While there are clearly some regional differences, the most searched for retailers by children across the globe include AliExpress, Amazon and Ebay. 

When it comes to Chinese retailers in particular, kids' queries are growing steadily year on year. 

Sports apparel (Nike, Adidas), electronics (Apple, Samsung), and fashion brands (Gucci, Vans, Supreme, Zara, Bershka) are the most searched for sites among this young consumer audience, said the report. 

But searching for goods online, as well as visiting specific retailers' pages does not necessarily imply actual spending. 

Kids might just be looking at things they want or compiling 'wish lists' to share with friends and family. 

"The Internet offers a lot of opportunities for kids, and we are now seeing many children becoming a key audience for online retailers," said Anna Larkina, a web content analysis expert at Kaspersky.

"Whether they spend money or not, they need support and guidance from adults who can help them avoid inadvertently coming across inappropriate content, suffering money loss or unnecessarily sharing their personal data," Larkina added.