With parents trying to distract children with digital games long enough to get them potty trained, it's not hard to understand how younger generations are one-upping adults in all things technology.
But just how tech-savvy are kids? Retail site Angiolotty did the research, and came up with a simple answer: Very.
Babies as young as six months are already playing with their parents' electronic devices (see potty-training toilet), while more than 50 percent of children between five and eight years old have used tablets as educational tools or digital play dates.
As 72 percent of children under 5 years old spend an average half hour online every day, it's no wonder more kids with home Internet access know how to play a computer game or use a smartphone rather than swim, ride a bike, or tie their shoelaces.
Unsurprisingly, Angiolotty's statistics continue to rise as kids age. The average teen, the site said, owns 3.5 gadgets — presumably a smartphone, a tablet, and perhaps an e-reader, MP3 player, or handheld gaming device to boot.
It's not enough to load up their pockets with mobile devices, though. Half of the teens polled said they can't live longer than a week without their phone, and 36 percent check it at least once every 10 minutes. A majority of teens use their phone regardless of where they are, including the 37 percent who admit to checking it while on the toilet.
The proliferation of Internet use by kids and teens has not gone unnoticed by parents (except maybe the 19 percent who admittedly didn't notice their toddlers sending a text or making a phone call). According to Angiolotty's infographic, 46 percent are worried about the personal information advertisers can find out about their child's online activity.
The impact of too much Web use on a child's academic and job prospects are also a concern (69 percent of parents), while most are worried about their kids interacting online with strangers (72 percent).
Social media can also be cause for concern: 59 percent of parents whose children are Facebook or Twitter users have felt the need to speak to their kids about posting inappropriate material on the sites, where younger users reportedly show more negative emotions and are likely to swear.
For more details about the iGeneration, check out Angiolotty's full infographic below.
