A new study suggests that many small children today are adept at using smartphones and tablets before kindergarten, with many owning their own technology by age 4, according to NBC News.
The journal "Pediatrics" published a research study that indicates children are not only using smartphones and tablet devices much earlier than previously assumed, but they are using them with proficiency by the time they begin school.
The study took place at a pediatric clinic in Philadelphia and screened 250 parents in the span of two months. "Almost all children (96.6 percent) used mobile devices, and most started using before age one," according to the report.
"At age four, one-half of the children had their own television and nearly three-fourths their own mobile device," said Hilda Kabali, a researcher involved with the study. "The most popular device was a tablet, owned by two-thirds of four-year-olds."
There are mixed feelings on the subject, with some people worried that parents are neglecting their children, especially in situations where the parents are substituting face-to-face interacting with artificial stimulation to keep kids busy or quiet.
Parents are warned to keep their kids away from video screens and the like before the age of two because it could interfere with language and learning development in the brain, according to AM New York.
But there are others who feel the increase in screen time is not something so bad.
The American Academy of Pediatrics back tracked on its condemnation of smartphones and tablets, saying that it can actually be a healthy and educational exposure when done right, according to USA Today.
