Why preschool children use mobile devices parental perspective

Abstract

The use of digital devices (tablets, smartphones, smartwatches) by preschool children can be associated with benefits but also with risks to their development. The moderator of this relationship would be the role of parent. Research shows that a significant role in allowing the use of digital devices is played not by the childs needs (e.g. developmental) but by the needs of the parent (e.g. related to the desire to rest or the lack of ideas on how to take care of the child). The presented data was collected from a group of 729 parents of preschool children (from 36 to 72 months of age) in 2020 duringimplementation of Toddler on the Web project. The results cover the frequencies of reasons due to which parents allow their children to use digital devices. The results show that among the most frequently indicated reasons were: the need to perform other duties or to get a rest, as well as the lack of energy to take care of the child, while the least frequently mentioned reasons were: the lack of ideas for spending time together, lack of ideas for taking care of the child, and using a digital device as a regulator of emotions or mood. All of the reasons analysed were employed with varying frequency by more than a half of the parents. The reasons why parents allow children to use digital devices do not depend on either the age or the gender of the child. There are two exceptions: when parentsconsider digital devices as a reward for the child (e.g. for performing various tasks according to parents expectations), and when they do not know how to spend time together with their child the older the child, the more often parents tend to apply both principles. Our results indicate the need to implement educational and preventive activities in the group of current and future parents.