- The following is content from the press release -
(Head Office: Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Ikuhiro Mizushima; Securities Code: TSE Standard 3134), developer of "Hamic MIELS," a smartphone for kids that combines real and digital monitoring functions, conducted a survey of 552 parents who give their elementary school-aged children GPS (Head Office: Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Ikuhiro Mizushima; Securities Code: TSE Standard 3134) conducted a survey of 552 parents who provide their elementary school-aged children with GPS and other watch-keeping devices* to determine the actual usage of such devices.
*GPS terminals, smartphones for children, smartphones for adults, kids' cell phones, smartwatches for kids, etc.
The survey results show that when out with friends and going to and from school, Approximately 70% of the families did not have their children carrying a watchdog device in their daily lives.As for possible reasons from the parents' perspective as to why they sometimes do not carry the device with them, in addition to the simple reason that they "accidentally forgot" (39.6%), the top responses were "my child does not like the watchdog device" (38.3%), "my child does not feel the need for the device" (36.0% ), and "Because it would be a burden when going out" (33.2%) were the top responses, indicating children's lack of interest in the watchdog device.
Main findings
- The No. 1 reason for purchasing a watchdog device was "because I worry about going to and from school, school children, and lessons" (55.11 TP7T), followed by "for emergency communication in case of incidents, accidents, disasters, etc." (48.61 TP7T).
- GPS functionality (36.01 TP7T) ranked first, the most important function when choosing a watch-keeping device. Functions specialized for watching over people and crime prevention account for more than 60% of the total.
- More than 60% said they do not use their watchdog terminals daily
- More than 70% of respondents indicated that their children sometimes do not carry their watchdog device with them when they go out. The most common situation in which they do not carry the device is "when going out to play with friends" (67.81 TP7T), followed by "going to and from school" (33.01 TP7T)
- The most common reason given for children sometimes not carrying a watchdog device was that they "accidentally forgot" (39.6%). Children tend to be less interested in watchdog devices because they "don't like them" (38.31 TP7T) and "don't feel the need for them" (36.01 TP7T).
Research Background
Recently, the percentage of elementary school students with smartphones has been declining, with more than half of families giving their children smartphones. Although there are various arguments against this trend, more and more families, schools, and communities are introducing smart phones, GPS, and other watchdog devices to their children as a means of watching over them and communicating with them in case of emergency.
In addition to incidents and accidents, in the event of a major natural disaster such as the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024, it is important to locate children and keep in touch with them as soon as possible, and demand for child watchdog terminals is expected to increase in terms of disaster preparedness. Against this backdrop, Hamee conducted a survey of households that have installed child watchdog terminals.
Survey Results Details
1. The No. 1 reason for purchasing a watchdog device was "because I worry about my child going to and from school, school children, and lessons" (55.1%); the No. 2 reason was "for emergency communication in case of incidents, accidents, disasters, etc." (48.6%).
When asked why they purchased a child watch device, the most common response was "because I worry about my child going to and from school, school children, or lessons" (55.11 TP7T), followed by "to communicate in case of an emergency such as an incident, accident, or disaster" (48.61 TP7T). The overwhelming majority of respondents purchased a watchdog device to watch over their children and communicate with them in case of emergencies.
2. "GPS function" (36.0%), the most important function when selecting a watchdog device, ranked first.
Functions specialized in monitoring and crime prevention account for more than 60% of the total.
When asked which functions were most important when selecting a monitoring device, respondents tended to focus on GPS functions (36.01 TP7T), followed by SOS functions (e.g., security buzzer) (15.3%) and calling functions (14.1%), all of which are specialized for monitoring and crime prevention.
3. More than 60% said they do not use their watchdog terminals daily
When asked how often they use the monitoring terminals, "Everyday" (36.2%). The survey also revealed that more than 60% of all respondents do not use their watchdog device every day, including "a few times a week" (39.91 TP7T), "a few times a month" (8.91 TP7T), and "hardly ever" (9.81 TP7T).
4. More than 70% of respondents indicated that their children sometimes do not carry their watchdog device with them when they go out. The most common occasions when they do not carry it with them are "when going out to play with friends" (67.81 TP7T), followed by "going to and from school" (33.01 TP7T)
When asked if their children sometimes do not carry their watchdog device with them when they go out, the respondents answered "yes" (71.4%). When asked on what occasions, "When going out with friends" (67.81 TP7T) was followed by "Going to and from school" (33.01 TP7T), revealing a tendency for children not to carry the device when they go out alone.
5. "I accidentally forgot" (39.6%) was the most common reason why children sometimes do not carry a watchdog device. Children tend to be less interested in watch-keeping devices, such as "Children don't like watch-keeping devices" (38.3%) and "Children don't feel the need for them" (36.0%).
When asked why their children sometimes do not carry their watchdog device with them, the most common response was "accidentally forgot" (39.6%). This was followed by "My child doesn't like the device" (38.3%), "My child doesn't feel the need for it" (36.0%), and "It's too much luggage when I go out" (33.2%), indicating that children tend to have little interest in watch-keeping devices.
Survey Summary
Name of the survey: Survey on the use of watch-over devices (GPS, etc.) by elementary school students
Eligibility: Men and women in their 20s to 40s who have a child of elementary school age with a watchdog device.
Survey period: December 25 - December 26, 2023
Survey method: Internet-based questionnaire survey
Number of valid responses: 552
*About the preliminary survey
Conducted to 6,602 men and women nationwide. Of the 1,099 respondents who "have a child in elementary school," 552 were surveyed among those who said they have a device with GPS functions for their elementary school child.
Expert Comments
Shigeki Kawai, Security Journalist, Hamic Division, Hamee Inc.
The survey revealed that even in families that have installed watchdog terminals, children themselves may not feel the need for them or may forget about them, thus rendering their preparedness in case of an emergency useless. In other words, This indicates that in implementing a watchdog terminal, it is important to not only reflect the intentions and desires of the parents, but also to consider the needs and behaviors of the child.
In order to make effective use of child watchdog terminals, it may be necessary to attend to the child's own desire to have one, rather than just the unilateral will of the parents. This will increase the likelihood that the introduction of watchdog terminals will be beneficial and that their functions will be properly utilized.
What is Hamic Business?
Official Hamic website: https://hamic.ai/
Hamee's Hamic business is developing the "Hamic MIELS" smartphone for kids.
Hamic MIELS" is fully equipped with a GPS-based location check function and a security buzzer, as well as digital features such as restricting Internet use and monitoring the messages exchanged with friends.
On the other hand, by pursuing functionality and design that makes children want to carry it around spontaneously, such as using a smartphone case from iFace, a mobile accessory brand popular among people of all ages, in addition to using functions almost equivalent to those of adult smartphones, we are Our goal is to create a one-of-a-kind service that can watch over children at any time.
Overview of Hamee, Inc.
URL: https://hamee.co.jp
Company name: Hamee Corporation (TSE Standard Securities Code: 3134)
Establishment : May 1998
Representative: Ikuhiro Mizushima, President and Representative Director
Location : Square O2, 2-12-10 Sakae-cho, Odawara-shi, Kanagawa
Business description: Development and manufacturing business of smartphone accessories, and e-commerce development in the U.S., China, and Korea,
Gaming accessories business handling the Pixio brand of gaming monitors, cosmetics business under the ByUR brand, and Hamic business supporting security and safety for children with dedicated smartphones.
