More than one-third babies are tapping on smartphones and tablets even before they learn to walk or talk, according to a new US study.
More than one-third babies are tapping on smartphones and tablets even before they learn to walk or talk, according to a new US study.
The study also found that one in seven one-year-olds are using devices for at least an hour a day. Researchers developed a 20-item survey to find out when young children are first exposed to mobile media and how they use devices.
Parents of children ages 6 months to 4 years old who were at a hospital-based paediatric clinic that serves a low-income, minority community were recruited to fill out the survey.
Participants were asked about what types of media devices they have in their household, children's age at initial exposure to mobile media, frequency of use, types of activities and if their paediatrician had discussed media use with them.
Results from 370 parents showed that 74% were African-American, 14% were Hispanic and 13% had less than a high school education. Media devices were ubiquitous, with 97% having TVs, 83% having tablets, 77% having smartphones and 59 % having Internet access.
Children younger than one year of age were exposed to media devices in surprisingly large numbers: 52 % had watched TV shows, 36 % had touched or scrolled a screen, 24 % had called someone, 15 % used apps and 12% played video games.
By 2 years of age, most children were using mobile devices. "We didn't expect children were using the devices from the age of 6 months," lead author Hilda Kabali, a third-year resident in the Paediatrics Department at Einstein Healthcare Network, said. "Some children were on the screen for as long as 30 minutes," she said.
Results also showed 73% of parents let their children play with mobile devices while doing household chores, 60% while running errands, 65% to calm a child and 29 % to put a child to sleep.
Time spent on devices increased with age, with 26 % of 2-year-olds and 38 % of 4-year-olds using devices for at least an hour a day. Finally, only 30 % of parents said their child's paediatrician had discussed media use with them.
The study was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in San Diego.
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