Kids Under 2 Using Tablets, Smartphones -- How Young Is Too Young?

Tablets and smartphones are common among teens and adults nowadays. A new survey, published in the journal Pediatrics, has found that kids younger than five own one, and even kids younger than one year have been using them.

The survey, led by Dr. Hilda Kabali of Einstein Medical Center, was done in a single pediatric clinic in Philadelphia. Kabali and her team studied 350 kids aged six months to four years, all coming from an urban, low-income minority community.

Although the researchers noted that the study is small, the results may not be representative of the whole country's population. NBC News said it is important to note that what they discovered gives an idea of what happens to babies and children in low-income communities.

The researchers found that most households had television (97 percent), tablets (83 percent) and smartphones (77 percent).

Almost all of the children used mobile devices (96.6 percent), most of them starting before they even reach their first birthday. By the age of four, half of the kids had their own television while three-fourths have their own mobile device.

“The most popular device was a tablet, owned by two-thirds of 4-year-olds," the researchers wrote.

They also found out what were the reasons for giving the kids the said screen devices.

"Parents gave children devices when doing house chores (70 percent), to keep them calm (65 percent), and at bedtime (29 percent)," the researchers reported.

More than just knowing 'how' to use the devices, the older kids were adept at using them, while the younger ones were learning very quickly as well.

"Most 3- and 4-year-olds used devices without help, and one-third engaged in media multitasking. Content delivery applications such as YouTube and Netflix were popular," the researchers reported.

The researchers also found that as age increases, so does screen time with mobile devices. TV time, however, remains the same.

"Television screen time remained constant across all age groups, but mobile device screen time increased with age," the researchers add.

Dr. David Hill, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' council on communications and media, told Reuters that parents are advised to avoid allowing their kids from getting any screen time before they reach two because it might interfere with their learning and language development.

Additionally, Hill, who wasn't involved in the study, said that benefits or harms from mobile games and applications are unclear.

“Parents should know that any claims they hear about kids learning from mobile devices are not backed up by solid science,” Hill said.