More than half of UK adults aged between 16 and 44 have at least one tablet in their home, a new study by Kantar Media shows, with the number rising as high as 58 per cent among 35-44 year olds.

Overall, tablet penetration is at 45 per cent for all British adults, up from 32 per cent a year ago. The presence of children is one of the strongest drivers for ownership, with 69 per cent of households with school age children in having a tablet at home.

Apples iPad continues to dominate the market, making up 56 per cent of all tablet users, although this is down from 63 per cent only six months ago, during which time Android based tablets grew by 10 per cent up to 37 per cent of users. Amazons Kindle Fire and Fire HD devices make up 15 per cent of the market.

As tablets grow more and more ubiquitous, their role in users lifestyles begins to distinguish itself from smartphones. While smartphones continue to be the primary device for communication, tablets are more likely to be used for watching video content or gaming, where the larger screen enhances the experience.

In addition, tablets are playing a growing role in mCommerce, with 53 per cent of tablet users researching products and services using their device, up from 44 per cent six months ago.

40 per cent of households with tablets have more than one device, and as such they are slowly shifting from being a shared device to a personal one, which opens up new content and advertising opportunities for targeting specific users more effectively.

Tablets remain tied to the home, however, with only 8 per cent of users taking their tablet out-of-home every day, and 44 per cent never leaving the house with their tablet, which is up from 36 per cent six months ago. Again, this reflects the changing role of tablets and the different usages new tablet owners are adopting.

“Tablets have rapidly become part of our digital lives, with Christmas sales and cheaper, Android powered devices all contributing to make tables a need to have rather than just a nice to have,” said Trevor Vagg, director of Kantar Media Custom. “The arrival of cheaper Android based tablets such as Tescos Hudl and the Kindle Fire has turned what was a premium device into something thats much more ubiquitous but also increasingly as personal as the smartphone we use when we are on the go. These shifts open new doors for advertisers in terms of targeted messaging opportunities.”