Under-fives’ ‘new norm’ will be to have their own tablet

THE majority of three and four-yearolds own a tablet, laptop, netbook or computer as it becomes the “new norm” for children under the age of five, according to the report by specialist research agency Childwise.

A survey of more than 1,000 parents carried out by Childwise found that 54 per cent of youngsters had their own device, up from 47 per cent last year.

“Personal ownership is also likely to become the norm for the majority of pre-schoolers in the next year or two, as the balance tips in favour of those with a device rather than those without,” the report said.

Childwise, which has produced an annual report into the media habits of pre-school children, also found underfives are now spending 2.8 hours on average a day watching videos either on television or online, up from 2.6 hours last year and 2.4 hours in 2014.

A substantial number of pre-school households own a voice-recognition gadget, such as Siri or Alexa, the survey found.

The report’s authors said: “More than a quarter of under-fives actively use voice-recognition software, often to ask for nursery rhymes and music in general, but also to answer some of their most pressing questions, such as ‘how big is the moon?’”

Earlier this year, Amazon announced that its Alexa voice assistant will teach children to mind their Ps and Qs, following concerns that the voice-activated Echo speakers were leading children to bark orders. The company’s latest speaker will reward children for saying “please” and “thank you” in an attempt to encourage more polite questions.

When a child questions a new “Kids Edition” of the Echo speaker and says “please”, it will respond: “Thanks for asking so nicely.”

When they say “thank you”, the speaker will reply “you’re welcome” or “no worries”.