Parents should be giving their babies iPads almost as soon as they are born, scientists have said.
The comments come as Professor Annette Karmiloff-Smith has led new research at the University of London, discovering babies learn faster with iPads rather than books, as they are provided with more sensory stimulation.
“Tablets should be part of a baby’s world from birth,” Professor Karmiloff-Smith told The Sunday Times
“It is shocking how fast they learn, even faster than adults to do things like scroll up and down text.”
The new research contradicts previous findings from many scientists suggesting exposure to computer screens can damage social skills.
“Books are static. When you observe babies with books, all they are interested in is the sound of the pages turning. Their visual system at that age is attracted by movement,” Professor Karmiloff-Smith said.
“That is why tablets, which have moving pictures and sound, are very good.”
The new research – which began with testing a small group of babies aged six to ten-months-old – has led the academics to grow the participant pool to hundreds of babies and toddlers, with only half of the group given iPads.
