iPhone Child Care: There's an App for That

Smartphones double as children's toys
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 26, 2010 3:55 PM CDT
Parents using smartphones to entertain bored kids - CNN.com
FILE - In this April 7, 2010 file photo, an Apple customer displays the new iPad, left, next to his iPhone in Palo Alto, Calif.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)

Parents have long relied on books, toys, and distractions to entertain their kids when taking them out in public—but these days, they are likely to just grab a smartphone. Kids find the intuitive interface of iPhones and other touchscreen gadgets entertaining, and software designers have taken note: over two-thirds of the programs available on Apple's App Store are for children.

"People have always brought toys, or something to entertain their child, into restaurants and stores," one mom tells CNN. "Now we just have better technology." AN expert explains: "They like to play with things their parents have. Considering how much time parents spend" using their smartphones, "it makes sense that kids would want them, too."
(More smartphones stories.)

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