An Ofcom report has been published that shows tablet use in the UK has risen dramatically in the last few years, with over half of households in the country owning at least one device.

The UK's independent communications regulator claims that 54 per cent of homes in the UK own a tablet, most often an iPad or Android device, and that they are most popular amongst 35 to 54 year-olds. Nearly two thirds of adults in this age bracket own a tablet of some description.

Kids aged between five and 15 are also tablet savy, with 71 per cent of them having access to a tablet at home by the end of 2014, according to Ofcom's research. And one in three have their own tablet, rather than have to share a family device.

Even toddlers have their own tablets, more than likely devices from brands such as LeapFrog and VTech. One in 10 three to four year-olds have their own tablet.

Despite the rise in tablets though, smartphones are rapidly becoming the most popular device for internet browsing. Although laptops remain the most popular hardware to access the internet through at home, with 65 per cent of UK adults claiming they use the 'net on theirs, 59 per cent of adults also claim to use their phones for web browsing at home too. And 51 per cent of adults say they use their smartphones for internet access outside the house - a much greater number than for any other device.

"In just five years, tablets have become a must-have device for millions of UK households," said Ofcom's director of consumer research, Kate Reeve.

"We’re using them to catch up with the news, watch our favourite soaps and keep the kids entertained."