Parents often use tablets to calm children down

A tantrum, an iPhone. The solution seems simple, but many parents fall back on it when their offspring takes a whim. The trend is even alarming, according to a team from the University of Michigan (United States), which publishes a study in the JAMA Pediatrics. Underprivileged households would be the most exposed.

The authors interviewed the parents of 144 healthy children, aged 15 to 36 months. The questionnaire looked at the likelihood of parents allowing toddlers to use a smartphone or tablet in different situations.

Frustration and loss of control

Handing the iPad to the angry child is more common in low-income households, the study finds. But above all 62% of parents use this trick in a toddler suffering from social and emotional difficulties against 38% when he does not present a particular problem.
New technologies are also used at mealtimes, bedtime or household chores. “The more parents lose control and feel frustrated about their child’s behavior, the more they will turn to mobile devices to calm them down,” summarizes Jenny Radesky, lead author of the study.

Researchers call for in-depth work on the use of digital devices with very young children. Such research can have a major impact because studies have shown that too much time spent watching television can affect the development of language and social skills in children.