(KMVT/CNN) - Nearly half of kids aged eight and younger have their own tablet device, according to nonprofit Common Sense Media.
Researchers surveyed nearly 1,500 parents with children up to the age of eight.
They found that 42 percent of these youngsters have some kind of tablet, a sharp increase from 2013 when just seven percent of young kids had their own device.
They survey also found that the amount of time young children spend looking at screens has tripled in the past four years.
Researchers said young children now spend an average of 48 minutes a day looking at device screens - more time than they spend reading or being read to, which averages about 30 minutes a day.
However, the 67 percent of parents said their children's screen time improves their ability to learn.
The data showed also showed differences in media usage based on household income.
Kids from households that made under $30,000 a year spent about 3.5 hours with on-screen media every day, but those who lived in households making more than $75,000 spend less than two hours.
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