ESSENCE Poll: Should Toddlers Use Smartphones and Tablets?

These darn kids nowadays! They’re already miles ahead of us when it comes to adapting to new technology (raise your hand if you’ve had a child show you how to play a new mobile game app). And now even toddlers are getting more screen time.

According to a new study conducted on 1,463 parents by media advocacy group Common Sense Media, more than one-third—roughly 38 percent—of children under the age of two have used a mobile device like a smartphone, iPod or tablet for an average of 15 minutes a day. That’s up from 10 percent in 2011. More toddlers are also using computers (10 percent) and video games (4 percent).

The figures come at a time when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is advising parents that too much time in front of screens may lead to attention problems, obesity and exposure to mature content.

So tell us: would you let your toddler use a smartphone or do you think it’s too early in their development? [poll id=396486]