A new study shows how much technology today’s children are using & how they are affected

Today’s children are surrounded by technology, and according to a new study by ReportLinker the average household owns 7.3 screens.

The study shows that children are still mostly drawn to television as it remains the most popular device used by them at home, with 62% of the mentions, followed by tablets (47%), smartphones (39%), and video game consoles (38%).

Among children aged 10 and younger, tablets are the favorite device and 58% of children aged five or younger use them. This figure shows the device has the potential to unseat TV as the favorite for future generations.

Although half of all the parents surveyed say they limit device usage to two hours a day, 45% of those who allow devices in the bedrooms say their children use them from three to five hours per day. 62% of parents say their kids spend three or more hours using a smartphone and 57% say their children spend more than three hours a day playing video games.

The survey also looked to see how parents are monitoring the content their children watch on the devices and 83% of parents recognize the importance of keeping an eye on the content their children are watching.

Devices in the bedroom was also a highly researched area. 46% of parents who allow their children to use electronics before falling asleep are surprisingly more likely not to activate the parental supervision on all their devices. 19% of parents who don’t allow electronics in the bedroom believe technology ruins the essence of childhood.

There are a few ways that the overall effect of technology on children was questioned. Almost a third of all parents (31%) believe their children are more isolated because they have fewer social interactions. And 4 out of 10 parents believe technology promotes school readiness and cognitive development.

To see all the survey results click here.