Peculiarities of preschool children’s usage of digital gadgets determined by adults

Abstract

Introduction. The study raises the problem of preschool children’s actions with gadgets and the mediation of this behavior by parents. The use of various gadgets by preschool children is a widespread practice. It is known that the effectiveness of a preschool child’s cognitive activity is largely determined by adult involvement. There is still no sufficient basis to conclude how effectively parents can use the gadget when interacting with their child. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to analyze what exactly 4-6 year-old-children do when they receive a gadget and how this activity is controlled by adults. Materials and Methods. A semi-structured interview with preschoolers was conducted in a psychologist’s office in a kindergarten. The psychologist had a list of compulsory questions, but if necessary, clarifying questions were asked so that the child’s answer was as complete as possible. The sample included 69 children aged between 5 and 7 years attending kindergartens in St. Petersburg. Informed consents were obtained from their parents. The ethical committee of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (IRB 00011060 Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia IRB#1) approved the study (protocol No. 24 dated November 27, 2023). The interview included questions related to the child's use of gadgets at home. Children explained what gadgets they use, how long they can do it, what they do when they receive a gadget, under what conditions this happens (the child uses a gadget alone / the adult comes up from time to time/ the adult is constantly with the child at this moment/ an adult discusses with the child what he/she was doing with the gadget). Results. The main result is that, having received the gadget, the vast majority of children are left alone with it. When the usage time is over, adults do not discuss the content of this activity. If something scares a child while playing or watching video content on YouTube, he/she does not tell the adult about it because he/she is afraid that he/she will no longer receive the gadget. Conclusions. When most parents offer their child a gadget, they do not use its potential for communication with the child and joint cognitive activity. The gadget allows the parent to get time for their needs in socially acceptable conditions.