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Surge in tablet use among toddlers

A quarter of pre-school age children in Britain have their own touch-screen devices, compared to a mere 4% of children in 2012, market research company Childwise has claimed.
 
In its latest report, Childwise also discovered that 42% of children under the age of four use these devices, a 27% increase over the last four years.
 
Jenny Ehren, research manager at Childwise, said that growth within the pre-school age group is predominantly among three- to four-year-olds, in both boys and girls.
 
鈥淧re-schoolers appear to have rapidly adopted the tablet which has quickly emerged as a most-wanted device for children, even among the very young,鈥 Jenny said.
 
鈥淧arents have encouraged this, considering tablets and the games and apps on them, as a great way to keep small children entertained and provide a learning benefit.鈥
 
She added that innovative technology and competition has made tablets much more affordable, and there has also been a greater marketing focus on creating apps for this particular audience.
 
The study also found that one in five pre-schoolers use the internet, one in three uses a mobile phone 鈥 although generally a parent鈥檚 鈥 and one in three use apps.
 
鈥淏y the age of four, most youngsters are self-sufficient on a tablet or computer and a significant minority are becoming independent players across the spectrum of mobile phones, TV and the internet,鈥 Jenny said.