title: Touch-screen technology usage in toddlers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish the prevalence and patterns of use of touch-screen technologies in the toddler population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parental questionnaires were completed for children aged 12 months to 3 years examining access to touch-screen devices and ability to perform common forms of interaction with touch-screen technologies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 82 questionnaires completed on typically developing children revealed 71% of toddlers had access to touch-screen devices for a median of 15 min (IQR: 9.375-26.25) per day. By parental report, 24 months was the median age of ability to swipe (IQR: 19.5-30.5), unlock (IQR: 20.5-31.5) and active looking for touch-screen features (IQR: 22-30.5), while 25 months (IQR: 21-31.25) was the median age of ability to identify and use specific touch-screen features. Overall, 32.8% of toddlers could perform all four skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From 2 years of age toddlers have the ability to interact purposefully with touch-screen devices and demonstrate a variety of common skills required to utilise touch-screen technology.
authors.affiliation: Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahearne
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Sinead
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dilworth
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rollings
authors.affiliation: Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Livingstone
authors.affiliation: Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, Cork, Ireland Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016288:Computer Terminals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: Media; Neurodevelopment; Technology