Phones or tablets at the top of nearly a third of kids Christmas wish lists

Devices top the Christmas lists along with Lego, robot dinosaurs and Pepper Pig toys

Nearly a third of parents are expecting mobile phones or tablets to be at the top if their children’s Christmas lists this year.

According to a report from Hotwire Global research 32 percent of parents are expecting their kids to ask Santa for devices and view technology as the most important thing in their life.

Aside from devices the research found that 18 per cent of parents believe family days out top the wish lists of their children with holidays (12pc), toys (11pc) and pets (9pc) also popular.

Hotwire surveyed over 500 parents of children between the age of four and nine between November 29 and December 3 this year and also found that one in three parents think their kids are most likely to ask for a present because a YouTube influencer recommended it.

Hotwire global head of consumer Emma Hazan said: “My two kids are constantly showing me toys and tech that they’ve seen online and asking me to buy them. The challenge for parents is tracking these toys down as influencers are often frustratingly vague when it comes to the exact details of who has made the toy and where you can buy it.

“The challenge for brands is in how they can translate this attention from influencers into being found under the tree this Christmas – whether that’s through contextual advertising on YouTube so the parent sees the toy advertised when their kid shows them the present or by ensuring they appear in all the right gift guides, brands can’t rely on an influencer endorsement alone to drive sales.”