Infants will use the slate for media, which dwarfs the time spent reading

Oct 29, 2013 16:01 GMT  ·  By

American children are reportedly abandoning spending a lot of hours in front of the TV and watching their favorite cartoons. Instead, a new study recently released by Common Sense Media showcases that young children are turning to tablets and smartphones and their shiny interactive touch screens.

The research indicates that 72% of kids under 8 are familiar with how a tablet or smartphone works. Even more surprising, one in third toddlers under 2 has played with such a device.

Compared to 2011, the increase is spectacular. Back then, just 38% of children were handling such devices with frequency.

Even when it comes to infants and toddlers, it appears they are shunning television and desktop game playing more and more. Two years ago, children spent an hour and nine minutes a day watching TV, as opposed to just 57 minutes in 2013.

Common Sense CEO James Steyer commented on the results of the research.

“This is quite an extraordinary shift for our young children. In the past we could measure and control exactly where, when and how they were engaging with screens. Now, mobile devices follow our kids from room to room.”

“The media children consume can have a profound impact on their learning, social development, and behavior, and the only way to maximize the positive impact – and minimize the negative – is to have an accurate understanding of the role it plays in their lives. These kids are true digital natives.”

The study involved 1,463 parents with children aged 8 and below and was conducted online.