Most U.S. parents have used iPad, other high-tech gadgets to babysit

NEW YORK, June 27 (UPI) -- A quarter of U.S. parents say the most common reasons to use a high-tech gadget to babysit a child are travel, boredom and family functions, a survey indicates.

A survey by CouponCodes4u.com found almost 6-in-10 U.S. parents said they have used a high-tech gadget such as an iPad, smartphone or handheld game console to "babysit" or occupy their little one so they didn't have to, the New York Daily News reported.

The parents surveyed all had at least one child ages 2-13. They said they also used a tech gadget to babysit a child -- often to take a break from parenting, while others said it gave them some "me-time."

Fifteen percent of the parents said they never used technology to babysit their kids. More than a quarter of this group said they wanted to supervise their children while they used technology, while 12 percent said they would rather spend "as much time as possible" with their kids.

CouponCodes4u.com survey more than 2,400 U.S. parents. No further survey details were provided.