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Quite the sign of a different generation. A new study shows almost 40 percent of toddlers today use mobile devices — probably before they even speak.
It found 38 percent of American children under age 2 in 2013 have used a mobile device for media. It's believable — a quick search on YouTube will find plenty of babies using iPads. Some still with binkies. (Via YouTube / ipadapps)
And kids typically start stringing words together around age 2. (Via BabyCenter)
The study, commissioned by Common Sense Media, also found 72 percent of kids under age 8 have used mobile devices. That's up from 38 percent in 2011. (Via Apple)
Access is a big part of the change. The research shows among families with kids 8 and under, there's been a "five-fold increase in ownership of tablet devices such as iPads" over the past two years. (Via Common Sense Media)
Other findings include that since 2011, the percentage of kids who use mobile devices on the daily has more than doubled — from 8 percent to 17, and the amount of time spent on such devices has tripled.
Kids still watch TV more than any other medium, but how they watch is changing, with more shows being DVR'ed, for example. And the dramatic changes over two years seem to indicate bigger change ahead. (Via YouTube / toadie107)
Mashable quotes the director of Common Sense Media. "Kids that can't even talk will walk up to a TV screen and try to swipe it like an iPad or an iPhone."
Magazines are just as useless. (Via YouTube / UserExperiencesWorks)
Still, New York Magazine says, don't judge too quickly — this change might not be bad. "It all has to do with passive and active screen time for kids under two. If kids are ready to zone out in front of a screen, it delays their language development. But active communication on programs like Skype actually might help ... "
But, right now, the American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends no "television and entertainment media" for kids under the age of 2 because there's so much brain development happening in those years. " ... young children learn best by interacting with people, not screens."
Well, a change is gonna come. iPhones and binkies in hand.
- See more at Newsy.com
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