The new nanny: Over a third of babies now use smartphones – before they walk and talk

‘The news is startling pediatricians. A new medical study reveals that the tiniest Americans are tapping on smartphones and tablets even before they learn to walk or talk, and by 1 year of age, one in seven toddlers is using devices for at least an hour a day.

The research found that even a third of the babies under a year could scroll down the screen, while a fourth managed to actually call someone.

“We didn’t expect children were using the devices from the age of 6 months. Some children were on the screen for as long as 30 minutes,” says Dr. Hilda Kabali, lead author of the study, which was conducted among 370 parents and their babies at a pediatrics clinic in the Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.’

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