New research from NPD Group in the US says that while the kids are using paid music services quite a bit, they are also still accessing pirate sources of music at a high rate. The research reckons that 70% of US kids aged 9-14 download music at least once a month. 49% use iTunes and 16% use MySpace, but 26% also use the flagship illegal file sharing network LimeWire. NPD says parents are to blame for letting their kids to use the internet unsupervised.
NPD's Russ Crupnick told reporters: "The music industry hoped that litigation and education might encourage parents to keep better tabs on their kids' digital music activities but the truth is many kids continue to share music via P2P".
Asked for what advice he'd give the record industry based on the report, he said: "Findings in this report suggest that the industry can still do more to promote specific ways children can obtain digital music legally, through pre-paid accounts and gift cards. Another potential way to reach kids is through industry-sanctioned, ad-supported Web destinations where kids can obtain digital music safely and legally".