Smartphones for toddlers? Data suggest gadgets as babysitters

Evidence suggests that for many young parents, smartphones and iPads are the new babysitters.

Zact, a mobile phone services company, has released a survey showing one in four children younger than 2 years old has a smartphone. The same percentage owns a smartphone between 2 and 5.

Most of the toddlers used their smartphones between 1 and 2 hours a day, the survey said.

A recent Pew survey concluded that it’s unlikely parents are using smartphones and tablets as babysitters. It suggested they’re being used as books.