I’m always mesmerized every time I see a toddler using a cell phone or tablet — it is incredible that youngsters know how to operate these devices.
But this is quickly becoming the norm, according to a new survey out from the non-profit Common Sense Media.
The study, which polled 1,463 parents with children under 8, found that 38 percent of munchkins 2-years-old and younger have used a mobile device, up from 10 percent two years ago.
The survey revealed a bevy of other interesting stats, all which point to a common theme: Children are using these devices — tablets in particular — more often than ever.
In 2011, only eight percent of households with children 8 years and younger had a tablet. That number spiked to 40 percent in 2013, according to the survey. And while 52 percent of homes owned some sort of mobile device two years ago, that number is now up to 75 percent.
Children using any mobile device on a daily basis for media activity — watching shows, playing games, using apps — jumped from 8 percent in 2011 to 17 percent this year. Not surprisingly, average time that children spend on devices during a typical day has tripled from two years ago.
But despite the increase in device use, the survey found that children are actually spending less time with screen media overall. That’s because kids are not using traditional media — TV, DVD, computer, console video games — quite as much.
You can read the entire study here.
