An increasing number of children are now using smartphones, and the phenomenon is being studied keenly by computer scientists, pediatricians, developmental psychologists and educationists. We reviewed the research literature on what we call child–smartphone interaction. We found that children start actively using smartphones at around the age of two. Two- and three-year-old children can tap the screen at intended places, four-to-six-year-old children can perform single-finger touchscreen gestures and follow instructions provided in non-textual modes, and seven- and eight-year-old children can perform multi-finger touchscreen gestures, follow instructions provided as text, navigate hypertext and use simple augmented reality apps. Suitably designed apps can facilitate child development. For example, video chatting apps can help children communicate with parents, drawing apps and storytelling apps can nurture creativity, vocabulary apps can help children learn new words, and concepts of science and mathematics can also be explained to children using appropriate apps. At the same time, overuse of smartphones has negative consequences such as sleep disorders and may also contribute to obesity in children. Children as young as nine years now access the Internet. Reckless use of the Internet can expose children to inappropriate materials and cyberbullying. Therefore, content filtering software should be installed in smartphones used by children. We recommend objective assessment of children’s ability to use smartphones, designing of apps according to the capabilities and interests of children belonging to different age groups, effective use of apps in child rearing and parental oversight on children’s use of digital technologies.

现在，越来越多的儿童正在使用智能手机，计算机科学家，儿科医生，发育心理学家和教育学家正在对这种现象进行深入研究。我们回顾了有关所谓的儿童-智能手机互动的研究文献。我们发现，孩子在两岁左右就开始积极使用智能手机。两岁和三岁的孩子可以在预期的位置轻按屏幕，四岁至六岁的孩子可以执行单指触摸屏手势并遵循非文本模式提供的指示，而七岁和八岁的孩子可以按照指示进行操作。一岁的孩子可以执行多指触摸屏手势，按照文本提供的说明进行操作，导航超文本并使用简单的增强现实应用程序。适当设计的应用程序可以促进孩子的成长。例如，视频聊天应用程序可以帮助孩子与父母沟通，绘画应用程序和故事讲述应用程序可以培养创造力，词汇应用程序可以帮助孩子学习新单词，还可以使用适当的应用程序向孩子们解释科学和数学的概念。同时，过度使用智能手机会带来不良后果，例如睡眠障碍，还可能导致儿童肥胖。现在，只有9岁的儿童可以访问Internet。鲁use使用互联网会使儿童遭受不适当的材料和网络欺凌。因此，应在儿童使用的智能手机中安装内容过滤软件。我们建议客观评估儿童使用智能手机的能力，并根据不同年龄段儿童的能力和兴趣设计应用程序，