Rising numbers of infants lack the motor skills needed to play with building blocks because of their "addiction" to tablet computers and smartphones, according to teachers in the UK.
Many children aged between three and four can "swipe a screen" but have little or no dexterity in their fingers after spending hours on iPads, it was claimed.
Teachers have also warned that some older children are unable to complete traditional pen-and-paper exams because their memory had been eroded by overexposure to screen-based technology.
They called on parents to crack down on tablet computer use.
The comments were made after figures released by Ofcom, a statutory body that regulates the telecommunication industry in the UK, showed that the proportion of households with a tablet computer more than doubled last year - from 20% to 51%.
Experts have warned that the growth is having a serious effect on children's social and physical development.
Last year, a doctor claimed that rising numbers of young people required therapy for compulsive behaviour after being exposed to the internet and digital devices.
Speaking at a conference in Manchester, Colin Kinney said teachers "talk of pupils who come into their classrooms after spending most of the previous night playing computer games whose attention span is so limited that they might as well not be there".
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