One in four children under 2 has their own tablet, M.P.s’ report shows

One in four under the age of two and more than a third of three to five year olds have their own tablet, according to research. 

Toddlers’ use of apps, websites and the internet has exploded  to such an extent that the average pre-school child, including under twos, spends more than an hour a day online, rising to two hours or more a day for a third of five to six-year-olds, according to the report compiled for the department of culture.

Tablets are so widely used by toddlers that baby equipment manufacturers have launched special iPad holders to fit onto baby high chairs, car seats and strollers with “a water resistant surface that guards [the iPad] against spills, dribbles and drools.” They are available on Amazon for under £10.

“I am very concerned about screens for babies,” Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner told The Telegraph. “It is deeply depressing and has no place in the baby equipment list.”

According to the review by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, which reports to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, rising internet use among very young children is one of the key trends since its last research six years ago.