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Tablets are now more important to children than their TVs, with more than one-third of young people aged five to 15 owning their own device.

Around 34 per cent of children in this category own their own tablet, which is up from 19 per cent last year, according to official figures. 

And six in ten children use a tablet at home - a 50 per cent increase on 2013 - while the number of children with televisions in their rooms has fallen by a third in five years.

Tablets are now more important to children than their TVs, with more than one-third of children aged five to 15 owning their own device, according to research from Ofcom

The rapid increase means that some preschoolers are using a tablet to surf the web, play games and watch video clips.

The report by UK regulator Ofcom found that 11 per cent of children aged three and four have their own tablet, up from three per cent last year.

The number of five to 15-year-olds who use a tablet to go online has doubled to 42 per cent since last year, while the proportion of children using the internet via a PC or laptop fell for the first time, by three per cent, to 88 per cent.

As well as replacing TVs, fewer children also have games consoles in their bedrooms as tablets take over the role.

The report also revealed girls prefer more 'sociable' media, sending more texts and making more mobile calls than boys in a typical week. Almost half of older girls claim that a mobile phone is the device they would most miss, compared to 29 per cent of older boys

The number who have radios in the bedroom has halved from 32 per cent in 2009.

Meanwhile, 20 per cent of children are watching TV on a tablet 33 per cent watch on-demand TV.

The report also revealed that girls prefer more 'sociable' media, sending more texts and making more mobile calls than boys, during a typical week.

Almost half of older girls claim that a mobile phone is the device they would most miss, compared to 29 per cent of older boys.

But girls and boys aged 12 to 15 are equally active on social media, with 71 per cent having a profile.

That said, girls are more likely to use Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr.

Just one social media site - YouTube - attracts more boys, who are nearly twice as likely as girls aged 12 to 15 to use it.

Ofcom said nine in 10 parents whose children go online were taking steps to help their children manage risks when using the internet.

The most popular methods included supervising their children online, talking to children about managing online risks and having rules in place about use of the internet.

Separate research earlier this week found that the iPad has now overtaken household names such as McDonalds and Disney to become the number one brand among American 6 and 12-year-olds.

The annual study, conducted by research firm Smarty Pants, ranks more than 250 brands each year.

'iPad's number one status among kids represents the culmination of the 'tablet takeover' - a movement from shared screens and TV network dominance to curated content on personal devices,' said Wynne Tyree, president of Smarty Pants.

'Kids increasingly turn to iPad for games, TV shows, videos, books, homework help and communicating with friends and family.' 

Around 34 per cent of children own their own tablet, up from 19 per cent last year, according to a recent report. Six in ten children use a tablet at home - a 50 per cent increase on 2013 - while the number of children with televisions in their rooms has fallen by a third in five years