A new study out on November 2 revealed that toddlers are getting more tech savvy today. This is after pediatric doctors have issued repeated warnings that screen time among small children should be limited. Today, children no longer borrow electronic devices from their parents. The study, which was published in Pediatrics journal, said that by age four, about three quarters of children already own mobile devices, such as mobile phones and tablets.
Diaper-wearing tech masters
This is the new reality among children in America. They might still be in diapers but they already mastered the art of using mobile devices. The pediatrics study revealed that as much as 97 percent of children have access to a tablet or a smartphone. Forty-four percent of babies under one year of age already use a mobile device every day and by age two, the number increases to 77 percent.
Survey base
The survey was conducted in one pediatric clinic in an urban area in Philadelphia in October and November of 2014, with researchers surveying the parents of 250 children brought into the clinic. The researchers stressed that the results are not representative of the entire U.S., but still present a troubling image. According to Dr. Hilda Kabali of Einstein Medical Center, one of the researchers, they found out that the tablet was the most popular and about two-thirds of the four-year olds surveyed owned one.
The facts
According to the survey results, 70 percent of parents give their children these mobile devices while they do house chores. Sixty-five percent said they used these devices to keep their children calm while 29 percent allowed children to use a mobile device before bedtime. Most of the children started using a mobile device before they turned one year of age and by the time they turn three, they are already adept at using the mobile devices by themselves. By the time children in the survey group reached age 4 they already have their own TV and close to 75 percent of them also possess a mobile device. At this age, they could already do media multitasking. The most popular among toddlers were Netflix and YouTube.
Related study
Common Sense Media also did a related survey and the results would be available this week. Crista Sumanik, the Senior Director of Common Sense Media said that while technology is already a part of life today, parents should still focus on behavior and putting a limit to when and where to use mobile devices. Parents should still put priority on face-to-face conversation. It is likewise important that parents choose the educational apps their young children should use.
Image credit: ISTOCKPHOTO
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