A shocking number of pre-schoolers own smartphones
For Aussie children, owning a smartphone or tablet is a new normal.
The latest Australian Child Health Poll shows one-third of pre-schoolers and two-thirds of primary school-aged children own smartphones (yes, own not just using their parent’s!)
The survey also found 50 per cent of children are using their devices unsupervised.
Paediatrician Dr Anthea Rhodes, director of the national poll, says it’s a “worrying” trend that so many young children are spending a lot of time on devices.
Dr Rhodes says there is very little evidence that smartphones or tablets boosts a toddler's development. There is, however, plenty of evidence to show that they can cause health problems.
"Particularly with sleep difficulties, problems related to unhealthy weight gain and then difficulties with social and emotional wellbeing," Dr Rhodes said.
The poll found that almost half of children regularly used screen-based devices at bedtime, with one in four reporting sleep problems as a result.
Two-thirds of families also reported conflict relating to screen time use and 85 per cent of parents admitted to using screens to occupy kids in order to get things done.
There’s also a link between parents' screen use and their children's use of screens.
"Basically, a parent who has high levels of screen use is more likely to have a child with high levels of use. Three quarters of parents of children under six also said they do not put time limits on screen use," said Dr Rhodes.
Dr Rhodes, who is a pediatrician at The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, said that physical playtime and face-to-face contact is crucial for a child’s development.
"Every hour a child spends engaged by themselves on a device like that is an hour they're not doing something like being physically active or having face-to-face play and social interaction."