When asked if they would rather play with an iPad or play with other children, two out of three kindergarten children chose the former, according to a survey carried out by the children’s rights council Børnerådet.

The result came as no surprise to Per Larsen, Børnerådets chairman. “The survey confirms the picture we had before: that tablets and other digital media are extremely popular – also among the very youngest,” he said.

“But we can also see that children will actually choose other things if we suggest to them a good alternative – like, for example, a fun playpark. That’s food for thought for parents and kindergarten teachers, if adults want to provide a diverse everyday life with variation in the activities.”

Need to find the right balance
According to Michael Aastrup Jensen, the IT spokesman for the opposition party Venstre, the party is concerned about children’s use of technology and thinks that a source of advice for parents is the answer, BT reports.

“An iPad is a good learning tool for a child, but it can also also become a minus if the child spends all its time on it,” he said.

“Like with everything else in life, it’s about finding the right balance. And I don’t think the way forward is to make laws or to point the finger at the parents. Instead we could make an advisory service, so parents can ask about things like that.”