Most Two-Year-Old Children Can Use Touchscreen Devices: Should We Be Worried?
Children as young as two can master searching, unlocking and swiping a touchscreen device, says researchers. [Photo: Rex]
Screen time is a modern hot potato for parents. While many parents ban their children from using electronics altogether, others (including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) are part of the growing trend of families using technology to help entertain and educate their little ones.
And a new study has proved just how effective a development tool a touchscreen device can be – and how quickly a young child can get to grips with using one.
Researchers from Cork University Hospital in Ireland have found that at the age of just 24 months old, children are able to master unlocking, swiping and searching on a phone or tablet – before they can even talk properly.
Is it any wonder a whopping eight per cent of children say “tablet” as their very first word?
Using questionnaires, the researchers looked at how competent 82 children, aged between 12 months and three years, were with using a touchscreen device. Some 50 per cent of parents said their child could unlock the screen while 91 per cent could swipe and 64 per cent could search the device for features.
The team found the youngest regular users of touchscreens were aged 12 months and the average age at which children had mastered all three skills was 24 months.
It’s scary to see how quickly children can learn to use gadgets - and how addictive they find them. But these fast skills are actually a good thing, say experts. [Photo: Rex]
But rather than urging parents to cut back their child’s screen time consumption, the researchers explained they support the notion that time spent using touchscreen devices benefits a child’s development because the gadgets require touch and feel – making them fairly similar to traditional forms of play.
And they’re not the only experts to recognise the positives of spending time with technology. A past study conducted by New York University researchers found that some apps can boost preschoolers’ intelligence levels and help them learn basic numerical and language skills.
Tablets are also brilliant for a tot’s fine motor skills – all of that button pushing and swiping is helping develop the tiny muscles in his or her hands. Screen time is also a great way for young children to address complicated emotional subjects and learn about health issues.
“Watching some programmes with your children allows parents to talk about the story lines and characters,” says Dr Amanda Gummer from FundamentallyChildren.com.
“Apps can develop learning and some children find it easier to learn key skills through the personalised game-play that an app provides rather than in a classroom setting.”
Dr Gummer says the key is to have a balanced play diet. “If children watch half an hour of TV or play on the computer, they might go and play in the garden for half an hour, or go to the park.”
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