Parents are using tablet computers to occupy children on long journeys, filling them with games, television shows and films to keep youngsters quiet, research has found.
A survey of 2000 parents by deals website bespokeoffers.co.uk found that almost half (46 per cent) with children aged between three and 15 admitted they were dependent on a "nanny tablet" to keep children occupied during journeys.
The most popular reasons for deploying a tablet were to end cries of "are we there yet?", stop back seat tantrums and to enable parents to properly focus on driving.
Some 40 per cent of those surveyed said they have purchased a secondary tablet especially for their children, a statistic that backs up recent findings from Ofcom that found one in 10 toddlers had a tablet, as did more than 70 per cent of five to 15-year-olds.
Those parents added that a child-friendly "rough and ready" tablet always travelled with them.
Managing director of bespokeoffers.co.uk, Ronnie Denholm said: "We are a nation of gadget lovers, and the rise of the 'nanny tablet' shows how ingrained this technology has become within family life.
"Our research shows that tablets are becoming a vital holiday companion, as parents increasingly use them to keep children occupied on long summer journeys, with their variety of apps, games and films."
The website's research also found that the average modern child now owns STG376 ($A788.59) worth of gadgets by the time they're seven, and STG452 ($A947.99) worth by the age of 15.
All this technology is having an effect on digital skills, too, with the research suggesting that the average child can master technology faster than their parents by the age of eight.
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