Kids 8 and younger are a true presence in the digital age, according to a national study on young children’s use of everything from television to mobile devices and apps.

More than 50 percent of kids have access to a new mobile device such as a smartphone, video iPod or iPad-type tablet, according to the study “Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America.”

The study is the first publicly available national research study to document young children’s use of new digital media devices such as iPads or other tablet devices and mobile apps along with older media platforms such as television and computers. More than 1,300 parents were surveyed online for the study, which is the first in a multi-year research effort by Common Sense Media.

“Much of the focus in recent years has been on the explosion of media use among teenagers, whereas our study examines media use among young children during crucial developmental years,” said James Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media. Recently “the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed their position that children under age 2 should not engage in any screen time, yet the data shows infants and toddlers are growing up surrounded by screens. This use data is an important first step toward understanding how the prevalence of media and technology affects the development of our youngest kids.”

The findings revealed that more than a third of children 8 and younger have used a mobile device such as a smartphone, video iPod or iPad. Of these children, 10 percent were younger than 1, 39 percent were 2 to 4 years old and more than half were 5 to 8 years old.

In a typical day, one in 10 children 8 or younger uses a smartphone, video iPod, iPad or similar device to play games, watch videos or use other apps, according to the study. Those who take part in such activities spend an average of 43 minutes a day doing so, the study showed.

Despite the proliferation of new technologies, television continues to dominate children’s media use, the study showed. Among all children 8 and younger, an average of an hour and 40 minutes is spent watching television or DVDs in a typical day, while only 29 minutes is spent reading or being read to. Even infants and toddlers spend much more time using screen media than reading. In a typical day children 1 and younger spend twice as much time watching television and DVDs (53 minutes) than they do reading or being read to.

The study also revealed a new “app gap” with only 14 percent of lower-income parents having downloaded new media apps for their kids to use compared to 47 percent of upper-income parents.

“These results make it clear that media plays a large and growing role in children’s lives, even the youngest of children,” said Vicky Rideout, a senior director to Common Sense Media.

For details on the study, visit www.commonsense.org/research.

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