A new survey revealed that majority of young children in the United States has used mobile devices. Even babies are already familiar with smartphones and tablets as four out of 10 children under age 2 have used one.
According to the survey conducted by the Common Sense Media, media use among children has grown in just a span of two years. The rate of media use on children aged 8 and below jumped from eight percent to 40 percent while those who have access to mobile devices also increased from 52 percent to 75 percent.
The San-Francisco based organization that advocates on child and family issues and studies the effects of media use and technology on children released a report Monday titled Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America 2013.
The researchers surveyed 1,463 parents to know the behavior of children age eight and below on smartphones, tablets, and television use.
One of the alarming findings in the survey is that children are spending lesser time watching TV, down by 21 minutes, and put more on mobile devices. Two years ago, children only spend five minutes on mobile devices but it went up to 15 minutes on the recent survey. Those using mobile devices daily doubled from eight to 17 percent.
"This is a really significant shift," said James Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, about both mobile-device use and an unprecedented drop in young kids' TV viewing. "The data shows rapid and profound changes in the 21st century in both childhood and learning."
Even the number of underprivileged and minority children who have access to media use also increased. However, the difference is still noticeable as only 23 percent of them own a tablet compared to 63 percent of those from well-off families.
Babies aged 2 and below spend 55 minutes daily watching televisions and DVDs as most parents spend only 19 minutes reading them stories.
Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has advised parents to limit their children’s time in media use especially those age 2 and below as there is no enough proof that mobile devices help enrich their knowledge.
