Parents’ perceptions of their children’s smartphone use (Percepciones de las familias sobre el uso infantil del móvil)

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to identify parents’ perceptions about how much and how often their primary school–aged children used mobile phones and what kinds of activities they used them for. The study used a quantitative methodology with a survey-based design. A total of 1,135 subjects participated. The results indicated that there were three main uses for mobile phones: social interaction, school- and information-related tasks, and leisure. Overall, the level of mobile phone use was low or moderate, with the consumption of video content and videogames standing out. Statistically significant differences, via MANOVA tests, were found between the types of uses and variables such as gender, school year, hours spent using the mobile phone each day and impact on school performance.