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A new report says kids are logging on earlier than ever. Here's Katia Riddle.
KATIA RIDDLE, BYLINE: One of the most surprising statistics from this report - 40% of children have their own tablet by the time they are 2 years old. It sounds bananas, but ask any parent of young children, and you can see how this habit gets started.
SONNY THADANI: As a parent, car ride, an airplane ride, a busy time at home where you don't have the support and you aren't giving your kids enough attention, we rely on technology.
RIDDLE: Sonny Thadani has three young children. He lives in New York City and works in tech. He has resisted giving his kids their own devices, but still, he says, sometimes in his busy household of two working parents, screen distractions are handy.
THADANI: Do we rely on it as parents too much, and is that our first sort of answer? And I think for me, sometimes it is, and it's one of the challenges I have as just an individual and a father doing all the things that I want to accomplish personally and professionally, and as a parent.
JIM STEYER: It's clear that parents are deeply conflicted about this digitalization of childhood.
RIDDLE: Jim Steyer is the CEO of Common Sense Media. The organization makes recommendations for parents on safe media choices for kids. They put out this report. These are treacherous waters for parents to navigate. But Steyer says there are a few key strategies. The first one...
STEYER: Delay, delay, delay, whether it's a cellphone, a tablet or whatever.
RIDDLE: There's no getting around it - kids are going to be watching screens. But Steyer says the longer parents can hold out on giving them their own device, the better. The second tip - not all content is created equally. Know what your kids are watching.
STEYER: Young children now average 2 1/2 hours of daily screen time, predominantly watching short-form video content rather than educational programming like "Sesame Street."
RIDDLE: Screen time is an overwhelming conundrum, says Steyer. But the worst thing parents can do is throw up their hands and ignore the problem.
Katia Riddle, NPR News.
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