Growing numbers of under-fives are being allowed to watch television in bed as the use of iPads increases, new research shows.
Almost one-in-three children of pre-school age have their own tablet computer while three-quarters have access to tablets and smartphones, according to the survey of more than 1,000 families by Childwise.
The findings are concerning child health experts, who say round-the-clock access to smart devices could be harming toddlers’ life prospects.
A Cambridge University study published earlier this month found that each hour of screen time per day reduces a child’s GCSE score by the equivalent of two grades.
The Childwise study found 7 per cent of children aged four and under are allowed to watch television in bed, up from 3 per cent the previous year.
Pre-schoolers watch an average of 2.6 hours of television per day, compared to 2.4 hours in last year’s survey.
A Childwise spokeswoman said the report “breaks the traditional correlation previously seen between increasing age and device ownership”.
She said: “By 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.”
Dr Aric Sigman, a child health education specialist and fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, told the Daily Mail: “It is imperative that parents are made aware of the new evidence and guidelines on young children consuming increasing amounts of recreational screen time in bed.
READ MORE:
“More screen devices leads to more screen consumption.
“If parents were to put a refrigerator in their child’s bedroom, that child is likely to eat more, and if the fridge contained a choice between broccoli and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream one can be reasonably confident that the broccoli will never leave that fridge.”
