38% of Kids Under 2 Have Used Mobile Device, Says Study

[Guest]

Common Sense Media, a consumer advocate non-profit, published a study saying that 38 percent of kids under the age of 2 have used some kind of mobile device.

38% of Kids Under 2 Have Used Mobile Device, Says Study : Read more

 

[Stimpack]

This confirms my suspicions that those who abbreviate every word with "text talk" are secretly under the age of 2.

 

[stevejnb]

This confirms my suspicions that those who abbreviate every word with "text talk" are secretly under the age of 2.

Lol don't U wish

(and the rest of us, for that matter)

 

[mobrocket]

"Used" I think is being very loosely used (pun unintended) here... Doesn't watching a movie on a tablet count as used?

 

[WHComp]

I agree with mobrocket, I would really like to know what they mean by "use". I have a son who turns 2 in November. He will see me using my phone, come and grab it and imitate me talking on it. He will also watch it as I do things. Does this constitute "using" my phone? Because there is no way a kid under two is actually doing "real things" on a phone.

 

[tmk221]

I'vo got 4 year old and she's cannot use phone at all! She can use a desktop PC, but all she does is clicking randomly on icons... So I guess that this 38% used mobile devices for watching a cartoon or just playing with it, having no idea what they do..

 

[tmk221]

I'vo got 4 year old and she cannot use my cell phone at all! She can use a desktop PC, but all she does is clicking randomly on icons... So I guess that this 38% used mobile devices for watching a cartoon or just playing with it, having no idea what they do..

 

[g00fysmiley]

depends on th kid i guess, my 1 year old uses my tablet to draw, and he knows how to pick books on the kindle app when we ask hm which book he wants to read also plays with keyboard and drum aps to make noise no rythm yet but he's 1 so not expected

 

[JOSHSKORN]

One word: LeapFrog

 

[Matt White]

I don't understand the value of this story, having your young children getting used to today's technologies should be a normal activity in today's household.

Technology moves so fast in today's world and it it not going to slow down.

Having your young children working these devices can only be a good thing, and the media are trying to make a big issue out of it.

I let my 10 month old daughter play with my iPhone, she knows the home key switches it on and off and she knows swiping her thumb does something but not quite sure what yet.

If we guard these devices from them, they will only be left behind, these devices are going to be supplying them with their education.

More and more apps are coming on to the market to educate young children, the digital age is not a fad, its the future, our children are the future, therefore this is the only right way forward for them.

Albeit we should monitor the usage and apply education apps for them to use, especially language and mathematics, when I say language I would like to see our 'digital age' move away from 'text speak and spell', and use proper spelling.

 

[alyoshka]

Geeky toddlers?.....
But tell me there was such a Hu-Haa about cell towers being close to schools etc etc... understandable, but, I bet these very same people are the ones who're letting their 2 year old's near radio emitting equipment....
Isn't it true according to the medical journals and geeks that human immunity and genes develop and become tougher with age.... since when is a 2 year old developed enough to be able to stand even x amount of radiation from these devices, if pregnant women aren't allowed to be exposed to X-Rays beyond a certain or maybe even nil amount.... how can this be a sign of progress and how is this a plus if (god forbid) the kid happens to be diagnosed with some sort of mutation , say 10 years from now?? Who is going to be held responsible? The irresponsible parent who let his kid be exposed to such devices in the name of keeping them up with present tech or keeping them busy with a toy so that he could finish his work in peace? or then the companies/institutions who are not too sure about what they've got out there in the market and still letting it happen?

 

[Matt White]

Geeky toddlers?.....
But tell me there was such a Hu-Haa about cell towers being close to schools etc etc... understandable, but, I bet these very same people are the ones who're letting their 2 year old's near radio emitting equipment....
Isn't it true according to the medical journals and geeks that human immunity and genes develop and become tougher with age.... since when is a 2 year old developed enough to be able to stand even x amount of radiation from these devices, if pregnant women aren't allowed to be exposed to X-Rays beyond a certain or maybe even nil amount.... how can this be a sign of progress and how is this a plus if (god forbid) the kid happens to be diagnosed with some sort of mutation , say 10 years from now?? Who is going to be held responsible? The irresponsible parent who let his kid be exposed to such devices in the name of keeping them up with present tech or keeping them busy with a toy so that he could finish his work in peace? or then the companies/institutions who are not too sure about what they've got out there in the market and still letting it happen?

They are probably are at a significantly less risk than they were in the 1800's and we are all here today to talk about this.

And today's mobile devices give a very minimum if any amount of risk to anyone.

It would be interesting to see any documentation based on today's technology which thinks it proves any danger.

We are talking about mobile devices and tablets here not x-rays.

When looking at devices check the SARS ratings on them its very minimul!

 

[alyoshka]

And you're sure these agencies that are so blatantly certifying all the Chinese equipment too are really not being run by the big wigs in the manufacturing and production of the mentioned equipment?? Plus, please take in note a lot of information is being blocked even under the RTI from targeting specific companies and equipment.
Yes, we are talking about telecom equipment, yet we have freak accidents happening all over the world everyday, with people having phones burst in their pants, next to their ears, over heating while talking or browsing.....
And you feel you need the documentation that even Assange has a tough time getting his hands on to be available to lamers like us.
And since we are on the subject of Mobile devices..... do you have any idea the amount of radiation and type that the components give out? inclusive of the displays???
x-rays would be like water as in comparison to the other rays that all this stuff might be giving out.

http://www.cellphonesafety.org/health/radio.htm


This is not for nothing..... the doubt still exists...
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Supes-back-posting-of-cell-phone-emission-levels-3185404.php

And...
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cellphones

And we still haven't learnt from past experiences..... remember ergonomics?
I have met a lot of people who have suffered from terrible pains and joint dysfunction or locking after 5 to 6 years of bad sitting postures at work and stiffening of the fingers, loss of sensitivity of the finger tips, etc etc.... from PC usage/overusage and a work hazard..... do we have enough info on that sort of info for mobile computing devices.....
I bet glass is harder and smoother than plastic..... what would 5 years of tapping away and sliding away do to your fingers on glass? never had cramps in the hand when holding a smartphone in a particular way?..... funny... cos I hear and see it nearly every second day .... people just don't drop their cell phones just like that, sometimes it's a involuntary muscle twitch that is irritating the hand that leads them to drop it.... we are not paying attention to these minute details that are affecting us everyday....


Here's a quote from the above article
"Most troubling to many people is a statement like this, also from the FCC: “It is generally agreed that further research is needed to determine what effects actually occur and whether they are dangerous to people.” So one might imply that the FCC really has no idea of the “actual” effect of RFs on people. "

 

[Innocent_Bystander-1312890]

Only 38%? :O

That's quite surprising actually... both my kids were exposed to them @ 1. My 3 year old routinely goes to youtube and local channels' kids websites for his cartoons instead of the TV.

They don't get a lot of time with them but by the time the little one is 3 I'm pretty sure he'll be proficient with it as well.

 

[merowland]

I tend not to agree with people saying that kids will get 'left behind'. Whether or not you push electronics into their hands, they will be using them soon enough. I believe kids also need to know and learn the value of everything else that is not electronic. I see too many kids that are tech zombies at 3,4,5 years old. It makes me sad knowing that these kids would rather sit on a device than run around and play outside. I try and keep my kids off of the electronics as much as possible. No TVs, netflix every once in a while... and my 3 year old still knows how to navigate a laptop just fine. Not to mention they constantly strive to make technology more user friendly, so learning curves are hardly what they used to be. Soon there will be no learning curve, they'll just hook it into your brain. Save your kids, get them off the devices and outside.

 

[stevejnb]

I tend to agree with Merowland. You can't stop kids - in the "long" term of over several years - from getting a huge amount of technology crammed into their faces unless you raise them in a luddite community. They'll become tech acclimated one way or another with little prodding from the parent. On the other hand, without significant prodding from the parent, kids will start to associate fun/play/entertainment with computer/tablet/phone. I have more than a few friends with kids under 7 years old, ranging between 1 and 7, and almost all of them play on their parents' tablets like it's going out of style. Getting them outside is a chore, sports are looked at as a hardship, many of them only go to a playground when their parents twist their arms...

I don't think falling behind is the problem, as kids seem to gravitate towards all of these technological toys quite easily. Teaching them that there is a world to be had beyond their phone, tablet, or computer - that's becoming hard.

I've watched two particular parent friends of mine just hand a tablet to their kid when they get home from school and bam - two or three hours of peace and quiet. It's great for me and my friends, but somewhere in the back of my head I wonder, "is this what parenting is today"?