Looking at kids’ mobile app/entertainment habits and parents’ searching behavior, The NPD Group’s new study Kids and Apps: A New Era of Play, has revealed that the Apple App Store is the go-to resource for parents to find apps for their children.

A full 62% of parents conduct searches on the App Store and more than two-thirds of parents surveyed look for age-appropriate content. For parents with kids ages two to five, 75% search for age-appropriate apps.

According to the study, more parents (73%) with girls using mobile devices search for age-appropriate apps, versus only 63% of parents with boys using the devices.

Examining usage, gender and age, gaming apps are the most popular for boys who play an average of 10.8 hours per week, but girls are more apt to use a variety of apps (music, art, and photo) and spend 9.5 hours a week on social networking sites. Kids ages two to eight use educational game apps while the tween/teen set (12 to 14) lean on social networking and music apps.

Results sizing up entertainment habits found that watching television is the most popular activity with more than 80% of kids viewing TV approximately six days a week for an average of 14.3 hours per week.

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