Daily Times

It will come as no surprise to many parents – but scientists have discovered that most toddlers can use a touch screen gadget by the age of two.

Some gifted youngsters are even using smart phones or tablet computers when as young as 12 months old, the researchers found.

A team of scientists analysed the ability of toddlers to swipe, unlock or search on a modern touch screen device. They found that the average age at which most toddlers could carry out the tasks was at their second birthday. Health officials for years have warned that parents should limit the time that children spend staring at a screen.

But the authors of the new study, from Cork University Hospital in Ireland, suggest that instead of being unhealthy for a child, time spent on touch screen devices could actually benefit their development.

Because the gadgets require touch and feel, their interactivity means they are not dissimilar to traditional forms of play, the researchers said. The study, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, involved 82 children aged between 12 months and three years.

Using questionnaires, filled in by parents, the researchers found that 82 percent of parents owned a smart device, 87 percent of whom let their child play with it.

Some 50 percent of parents said their child could unlock the screen while 91 percent could swipe and 64 percent could search the device for features.

The team found the youngest regular users of touch screens were aged 12 months and the average age at, which children had mastered all three skills was 24 months.

Experts have long warned about the possible damage of too much “screen time” – but the Cork researchers said that touch screens may actually exert a positive influence.

The authors wrote, “Interactive touch screen applications offer a level of engagement not previously experienced with other forms of media and are more akin to traditional play. This opens up the potential application of these devices for both assessment of development and early intervention in high-risk children.”

They pointed out there were still issues about regulating the quality of the apps on the phone which cannot be overlooked.

“Many applications designed for infants and toddlers already exist but there is no regulation of their quality, educational value or safety,” they added.

“Some of the issues that arise with passive watching of television still apply.”

In 1999, the American Academy of Paediatrics recommended that screen time be discouraged in children under the age of two, on the grounds that it risked exposure to unsuitable material and discouraged other important interactions.

The NHS has never gone as far, but several studies have warned of the impact of too much time spent in front of a television or staring at a computer or smart phone.

A recent study by University College London found that teenagers who use websites such as Facebook within 30 minutes of bedtime tend to perform worse in class.

The researchers found this may be because it over-stimulates the brain, making it difficult to sleep afterwards.

Teenagers are then less likely to have the recommended 10 hours’ sleep they need to function well at school the next day.

In a survey of 16 to 19-year-olds, 70 percent said they use social media before bed – and they achieved on average 20 percent worse grades in GCSE and A-level exams than those who did not.

Separate research, by experts at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso, found that teenage boys risk damaging their bones by spending too much spare time on sedentary activities, such as sitting in front of the TV or computer screen.

Just two hours sitting in front of a screen at weekends was associated with lower bone mass among boys aged 15 to 18, according to a study of 1,000 school pupils.

In follow-up tests the researchers found that the impact was long-lasting, with reduced bone mineral density persisting two years later. The same link was not found among girls, the scientists found, suggesting boys may be particularly at risk because of their different body fat distribution.