We're surrounded by gadgets and gizmos everywhere from home to work and nobody denies the rise of technology has led to a far better, easier and very comfortable life. How about babies? Well, we have always heard parents complaining about their children’s addiction to technology.
According a new study "First Exposure and Use of Mobile Media in Young Children" by the Pediatric Academic Societies, most children are allowed by their parents to play with digital gadgets and before they’re walking or talking.
To explore children's initial exposure to mobile media and frequency of use, the survey-based study involved parents of children aged 6 months to 4-years-old who attended a hospital-based pediatric clinic serving a low-income, minority community. Out of 370 cooperating parents, 97% has TVs, 83% tablets, 77% smartphones and 59% internet access.
According to the results, parents start letting kids play with mobile media for different reasons: running errands (60%), doing chores around the house (73%), to calm the child (65%) and to put the child to sleep (29%). 14% of kids spend at least one hour per day using mobile by the age of 1, 26% by 2, and 38% by 4.
52% watched TV, 36% touched or scrolled a screen, 24% called someone, 15% used apps and 12% played video games before celebrating their first birthday.
Only a third of parents said they discussed media use with a pediatrician.
The results were presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Diego.
