- Young children lead active, varied lives in which technology plays an important but non dominant part. It is embedded into daily life, with extended family members and networks outside the home playing a key role in socialisation and communication.
- Young children try to do what they see older siblings/parents doing; they want to join in and have fun too. Apart from hand-held games devices, kids don't usually own the devices but they share family devices or borrow parents' (especially their smartphone). This means that children use technology that is not necessarily and entirely tailored for them. The tablet's touchscreen interface means young children can use them independently at an earlier age than the laptop. Much of young children's use of digital devices is individual and ad hoc in nature, and may be little noticed by parents. Children tend to be more consumer than creators although we saw some creative production (i.e. drawing apps, taking/editing photos – ‘selfies'), instructional online, often with parental support.
- Children have little or no understanding of the online world's scope, origins, purposes or risks (or, even, what ‘online' means). Parents tend not to think this matters.
- Encountering violence and strong language (and some supposed health risks) are of greater concern to parents than sexual content or unwanted contact. Parents' strategies are generally restrictive and time-based and linked to reward-punishment rather than shared/co-use or explanation; children are ready to respect these but do not always understand them, being too young to understand the often-unexplained threats (or, even, the time limits parents set). Many parents believe that robust strategies are not needed until children get older, despite evidence that some children can bypass safety settings or that they know parents' passwords. Parents are more worried about the ‘smart' future than the present.
- Parents would welcome advice on fostering children's online safety. Advice from schools appears limited, with little substantive communication between schools and families relating to technology. Generally, children and parents would welcome new ideas or further guidance about how to use the devices and apps available to them.
Young children and digital technology: a love story that challenges parents
From a very early age, gaming and video watching on a variety of internet-connected devices are among children's favourite activities. But children are little aware of what the internet is, what ‘online' means, what risks they can encounter and what benefits they can gain.
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