The use of gadgets by children under four years old: Evidence from parents

Abstract

The pandemic isolated the families and turned gadgets into working tools for parents and means of educating children. This has dramatically changed the role of gadgets in the family. Before the pandemic, many educators and parents alike were convinced that gadgets posed a threat to preschoolers. Now, however, gadgets have made their way even to the prams of under one year olds. The study aimed to describe current practices in the use of gadgets by children in families. To meet this aim we conducted an online survey of 866 parents with children aged zero to four. The survey was based on a specially developed online questionnaire Children and Gadgets. It included three blocks of questions. The data were analysed separately for three age groups: zero-two years, two-three years, and three-four years. It was shown that the number of children who access a gadget before the age of four has doubled in the last two years. More than half of the children (53.7%) in the study sample had an access to a gadget before the age of two, while 4.5% of children accessed a gadget before the age of six months. 64.4% of parents admit that they give their children a gadget to take a break from their child. Only 11.4% of parents use educational apps, while the rest of the parents simply show cartoons. 28.1% of children under four go online. The first access to a gadget is not anyhow related to self-care skills or the child’s tantrums. Only 12% of parents use gadgets as a unique tool for cognitive development of young children. The rest of the parents either reject these tools or use them to avoid communication with the child.