Lots of 6-Month-Olds Use Smartphones

American scientists have found that over a third of infants already use smartphones and tablets at the age of about six months. They acquire these skills even before they rise to their feet.

Six-month babies actively use smartphones and tablets, which poses a considerable risk to the health of the baby, as established by the scientists from Einstein Healthcare Network in the United States. The authors of this study also found that one in seven babies at the age of one year spends at least an hour a day with these gadgets. These results were obtained after 370 parents of babies aged 6 months to 4 years had completed a questionnaire consisting of 20 items.

Among them, there were questions about the age at which a baby first comes into contact with mobile devices, as well as how often he/she uses devices. The findings surprised the researchers themselves, when it turned out that 52% of very young children regularly watch TV programs, 36% touch screens and actively use smart phones, 24% call someone, 15% use mobile apps, and 11% play video games.

By the time they reach the age of two a vast majority of children are already actively using smartphones and tablets. 73% of parents allow their children to safely play with these gadgets as they do household chores. 65% of adults believe that children can be pacified with the help of tablets and smartphones, and 29% of mothers and fathers believe that gadgets allow the child to sleep.

Unfortunately, only 30% of parents reported to the researchers that pediatricians discussed with them how harmful the contact with all sorts of gadgets and screens at such an early age could be to the babies’ health.