Touchscreens may improve motor skills in toddlers

A new study by researchers from King's College London and Birkbeck, University of London, has found that toddlers who use touchscreens may show improved fine motor control abilities. The use of touchscreens has increased rapidly in recent years, with statistics showing that in the UK alone, the number of touchscreen devices in the family home has increased from 7 per cent in 2011 to 71 per cent in 2014. However, there is concern that using touchscreen devices could hinder, not help cognitive development in children. Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics advise that children should not be exposed to screens before the age of two, with other countries around the world also adopting similar guidelines. Touchscreens offer an intuitive source of stimulation for young children and the TABLET projec t, led by Dr Tim Smith at Birkbeck, aims to understand the potential impact of these devices on children's cognitive development. In their recent study, published in Frontiers in Psychology , the researchers gathered data using an online survey from 715 families with children aged 6 to 36-month-olds. Parents were questioned on whether their toddlers used touchscreens, when they first used one, and how often and how long they use them for.