"Just Showed It Briefly During Mealtime" — Toddlers Start Using Smartphones Earlier Than Expected

50.98% of Children Start Using Smartphones Before Age Two
13.8% Exposed to Smartphones Even Before Their First Birthday
Smartphone Use Tends to Increase on Weekends Compared to Weekdays

One out of every two infants and toddlers begins using a smartphone before turning two years old. More than 10% had been exposed to smartphones even before their first birthday.

According to Yonhap News on September 28, citing the "MIND" mental health research newsletter published by the National Center for Mental Health, a survey of parents of 400 infants and toddlers aged two to five found that the most common age for starting smartphone use was "12 to 23 months" at 37.18%.

One out of every two infants and toddlers starts using a smartphone before turning two years old. More than 10% were exposed to smartphones even before their first birthday. The Asia Business Daily

The data also showed that 13.80% of children started using smartphones between 0 and 11 months of age. Combining these figures, 50.98% of infants and toddlers began using smartphones before turning two—essentially one out of every two children. Additionally, 23.66% reported their child began using smartphones for the first time between the ages of 24 and 35 months. About 12% each said their child began smartphone use at 36 to 47 months or 48 to 59 months of age.

There was a marked trend of increased smartphone use on weekends compared to weekdays. On weekdays, 56.78% of children used smartphones for "less than one hour," which was the majority response, followed by 32.74% who "do not use smartphones." Only 9.46% used smartphones for between one and less than three hours per day. In contrast, during weekends, the percentage using smartphones less than one hour per day was similar at 54.87%, but the proportion using them for one to less than three hours jumped to 22.58%. The percentage who did not use smartphones decreased from 32.74% on weekdays to 21.28% on weekends.

This suggests that even in households where smartphones are rarely shown to children on weekdays, parents tend to hand over smartphones to their children in situations such as going out, mealtime, or doing housework on weekends. The data also included results regarding children's behavioral characteristics and parental smartphone use. Using the Korean Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL 1.5-5), it was found that among all surveyed children, 6.25% were classified as falling within the "borderline clinical range" for behavioral problems, and 7.25% within the "clinical range," totaling 13.50%.

Experts emphasize that during early childhood, it is important to minimize screen time spent on smartphones and TVs, and to increase direct interactions such as conversations with caregivers, reading books, and physical activities. The Asia Business Daily

A survey using the Adult Smartphone Addiction Scale for parents showed that 11.5% fell into the "potential risk user group," and 0.25% into the "high-risk user group." However, these numbers were derived from measurements taken during the same survey and do not indicate that smartphone use by infants and toddlers directly causes behavioral problems, nor do they prove a direct causal relationship with parents' smartphone use.

Experts emphasize that during early childhood, it is important to minimize screen time with smartphones and TVs, and increase direct face-to-face interactions such as conversations with caregivers, reading books, and physical activities. The World Health Organization (WHO)'s 2019 guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep for children under five years old also strictly limit screen exposure at younger ages.

The WHO advises against screen exposure for children under one year old. For one-year-old children, it also recommends avoiding any time spent sitting and watching TV or videos, or playing computer games. Starting from age two, it limits screen time to less than one hour per day, and the less, the better. For three- to four-year-olds, the recommendation is also not to exceed one hour per day.

Instead, the WHO encourages caregivers to engage in non-screen activities—such as reading books, telling stories, or singing songs—when the child is expected to stay still. While smartphones have become a tool for diverting a child's attention or briefly freeing up caregivers during childrearing, as the age of first smartphone use drops, experts point out the growing importance of setting appropriate usage rules at home.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.