IPad-wielding toddlers 'are watching more TV in bed'

Growing numbers of under-fives are being allowed to watch television in bed as the use of iPads increases, new research shows.

Almost one-in-three children of pre-school age have their own tablet computer while three-quarters have access to tablets and smartphones, according to the survey of more than 1,000 families by Childwise.

The findings are concerning child health experts, who say that round-the-clock access to smart devices could be harming toddlers’ life prospects. A Cambridge University study published earlier this month found that each hour of screen time per day reduces a child’s GCSE score by the equivalent of two grades.

The Childwise study found that 7 per cent of children aged four and under are allowed to watch television in bed, up from 3pc the previous year.

Pre-schoolers watch an average of 2.6 hours of television per day, compared to 2.4 hours in last year’s survey.

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A Childwise spokeswoman said the report “breaks the traditional correlation previously seen between increasing age and device ownership”.

She said: “By four most youngsters are self-sufficient on a tablet or computer and a significant minority are becoming independent players across the spectrum of mobile phones, TV and the internet.”

Dr Aric Sigman, a child health education specialist and fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, told the Daily Mail: “It is imperative that parents are made aware of the new evidence and guidelines on young children consuming increasing amounts of recreational screen time in bed.

“More screen devices leads to more screen consumption.

“If parents were to put a refrigerator in their child’s bedroom, that child is likely to eat more, and if the fridge contained a choice between broccoli and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream one can be reasonably confident that the broccoli will never leave that fridge.”