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© Michael
Kooren / Reuters
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Say goodbye to the days
of puzzles and outdoor play – children these days are being kept occupied by
more sophisticated toys. New research has found that a staggering 97 percent of
US children under the age of four use mobile devices, regardless of family
income.
The
research – published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday – studied 350
children in a low-income, minority community. The findings noted an “almost
universal exposure” to mobile devices, indicating that such technological
luxuries are not limited to financially well-off families. In fact, the
parents' education and the child's gender and ethnicity did not play a role in
whether a child owned a mobile device.
The
child participants were between six months and four years of age. The older the
children were, the more likely they were to have their own technology. By age
four, about three-quarters had their own mobile device, and half had their own
TV.
Ninety-seven
percent were found to have used a mobile device, and about half frequently
multi-tasked, using more than one device at the same time.
RT report continues:
The
study also found that 20 percent of one-year-olds have their own tablet
computer, and that 28 percent of two-year-olds can navigate a mobile device
without help.
Study
author Dr. Matilde Irigoyen, chair of the Department of Pediatric and
Adolescent Medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center, said she was “surprised
by some of the findings.”
“We
were very surprised to see how often the children used the mobile devices, how
many of them owned a personal device, how many could use the device without
assistance, and how many engaged in media multitasking,” Irigoyen said.
But
the impressive set of skills shown at such an early age shouldn't necessarily
be surprising – because the study found that most children begin using mobile
devices before their first birthday.
This
was partly due to parents relying on such devices to occupy their children
while they did chores, were out in public places, or running errands. In
addition, 28 percent of parents said they use a mobile device to put their
children to sleep.
The
research also found that most households surveyed had televisions (97 percent),
tablets (83 percent), and smartphones (77 percent). Just over half had video
consoles (56 percent), a computer (58 percent), and internet access at home (59
percent).
Irigoyen
said the idea for the study grew after physicians observed the behavior of
families in a clinic waiting room.
"In
the clinic, in the practice, we're seeing every mother, every father, every
adult come in, and they pull out their cellphones," she said, as quoted by
USA Today. She added that parents often use mobile devices to entertain their
children in the waiting room.
The
study consisted of a 20-question survey of 289 parents of 350 children in an
urban, low-income, minority community. Questions were answered about the
children's use of television, mobile devices, computers, and video games. The
children had visited a Philadelphia pediatric clinic in October and November of
2014.
The
findings did not address the impact that mobile devices have on children and
their families, Irigoyen said, adding that “they simply describe the pervasive
nature of digital exposure and the patterns of use."
The
study authors have stressed the need for further research in order to update
guidelines and recommendations for the use of mobile devices by young children.
The new research suggests
that mobile device use among children is on the rise. In 2013, a similar study
by Common Sense Media found that ownership of tablet devices among families
with children aged eight and under was just 40 percent at that time, and that
75 percent of children had access to some type of “smart” mobile device.
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