Engl. transl.: Young children (0-8) and digital technology

Executive summary Key findings The obtained data show that a wide range of technologies and intensive use of them is considered as a norm in the households, children’s technical skills correspond to the particular age, as well as the reasons for using technologies are increasingly associated with entertainment rather than with searching for a practically useful information and performing deliberate learning activities, but they also indicate a certain type of habits. Families rarely practice a joint and purposeful acquisition of technologies, but it is mostly supported from parents’ side or based on tactics of unsupervised children’s attempts and principle of randomness. There could be mentioned several reasons for parents’ lack of participation or fragmentation: they are not interested in helping children to learn to use the technologies because they see a learning potential in this activity, they themselves are unable to handle the technologies so skillfully to teach their children, they consider them to be negative, therefore, despite the fact that the parents have purchased the technologies and allow the child to use them, as a matter of principle, they do not consider it to be appropriate to help children to learn to use them, parents have not immersed themselves in this issue, thus allowing the process to run its course. Although neither the parents’ nor the children’s use of technologies as a whole suggested any specific potential threats, however, regular habits do not necessarily indicate an in-depth understanding and systemic strategic approach in the action. In general, the parents in the families do not implement a well- considered media education, and they have not purposefully developed an approach to technology use based on psychological and pedagogical arguments. This is indicated by the inconsistency of imposing the rules and requirements (time of the day, duration, type of technology, operational specifics), fragmentation in their implementation, as well as a voluntary use of technologies within the framework of implementing parental authority outside the technology area by rewarding or punishing children, by disciplining them with restrictions regarding technology use, as well as by regulating the free time of the parents to meet their own needs. The fact that media education is not implemented purposefully is justified by the fact that the parents are lacking media competence that would increase the confidence regarding the appropriate choice of parenting approach. Understanding both the usefulness and potential risks of the technologies is more abstract and intuitive, the arguments are often irrational and not from in-depth studies of literature, or based on conclusion of the field specialists, but rather on personal assumptions, oral messages of the media and the bystanders. Several families represented a belief that media education becomes relevant at a certain age, which is not defined within this study, and that the surveyed children have not yet reached such age, therefore, in parents’ opinion, poorly targeted approach is still acceptable. Parents’ lack of knowledge or unwillingness to analyze the issues regarding the impact of technologies is also revealed by children’s superficial understanding of the risks associated with the technology use. The children associate the risks of technology use more with physical threats, which are more evidently identifiable and easier to understand for child’s perception - the children are aware of the mechanically technical damage to the devices themselves and the potential damage to physical health of individuals, the risks of mental health, privacy or safety only in abstract terms. Children’s technology use habits have correlations with parents’ understanding and practice of technology use. A number of parents’ understanding and logical courses of action are identifiable: a) the parents who use technologies actively themselves, but give a relatively little thought to the content and superficially reflect on the consequences of technology use, they are more familiar with the child’s digital activity habits and are less skeptical about children’s interest in technologies, and mostly slightly critically liberal with regard to the child’s urge to use technologies on a daily basis. The parents in this model prioritize the value and importance of technologies, but they pay secondary attention to the child’s physical and emotional safety. b) the parents who use technologies actively themselves, they look into the content and see the correlations between the use and consequences, they are more demanding with regard to the child as a user, and do not only limit the number, types, duration of use of the technologies, but also ask children to critically assess the role of technologies in general according to their age, their positive and negative features, as well as they orient children towards self-discipline with regard to the technology use by providing parents’ assistance in the virtual reality. c) the parents who see more negative trends in the existence and use of the technologies, they are passive and comparatively rarely use technologies. In such a model raising of a child is more dominated by prohibition to use technologies, which is not explained with reasonable arguments, or minimal attention is paid to children’s technology usage habits. d) the so-called rational technology use model was identified in which the parents are aware of the role of technologies in the present and the future, consider them to be a normal routine components of the family, however, they are aware of and understand the risks involved with regard to the raising of children by trying to balance between the virtual and real activities and by promoting the understanding of the child, as opposed to other models where parents are more focused on the inheritance of views, by not clarifying the reasons and therefore not promoting the child’s ability to judge and media competence. In this model the parents, unlike the others, believe that the media competence should be gradually formed from an early age. e) data from the study allowed to identify a gender contrast model in the parenting approach, in which the fathers are relatively less prejudiced and more technically competent technology users, and delegate more freedom to their children, while mothers are more conservative technology users, who develop more detailed provisions of use for children and often for spouses as well, so that it would be an example for children. Despite the extensive range of technologies both in households with low income and high-income, the children attaches high priority to the activities of real life - plays, games, physical activities, social contacts, suggesting that the environments are separated and the child is able to choose what he prefers in them both. Inconsiderate and non-purposeful media education in families also influences the purchase of technologies the reason for which is mostly the availability and affordability of the product in the market, changing fashion trends in technology acquisition, which is associated with a certain affiliation to social circles, implementation tool of penalty and reward system rather than care for achieving particular parenting and learning objectives.

Research data show that a wide range of technologies and intensive use of them is considered as a norm in the households, children’s technical skills correspond to the particular age, as well as the reasons for using technologies are increasingly associated with entertainment rather than with searching for a practically useful information and performing deliberate learning activities, but they also indicate a certain type of habits.  Families rarely practice a joint and purposeful acquisition of technologies, but it is mostly supported from parents’ side or based on tactics of unsupervised children’s attempts and principle of randomness. There could be mentioned several reasons for parents’ lack of participation or fragmentation: they are not interested in helping children to learn to use the technologies because they see a learning potential in this activity, they themselves are unable to handle the technologies so skillfully to teach their children, they consider them to be negative, therefore, despite the fact that the parents have purchased the technologies and allow the child to use them, as a matter of principle, they do not consider it to be appropriate to help children to learn to use them, parents have not immersed themselves in this issue, thus allowing the process to run its course.  Although neither the parents’ nor the children’s use of technologies as a whole suggested any specific potential threats, however, regular habits do not necessarily indicate an in-depth understanding and systemic strategic approach in the action. In general, the parents in the families do not implement a well- considered media education, and they have not purposefully developed an approach to technology use based on psychological and pedagogical arguments. This is indicated by the inconsistency of imposing the rules and requirements (time of the day, duration, type of technology, operational specifics), fragmentation in their implementation, as well as a voluntary use of technologies within the framework of implementing parental authority outside the technology area by rewarding or punishing children, by disciplining them with restrictions regarding technology use, as well as by regulating the free time of the parents to meet their own needs. The fact that media education is not implemented purposefully is justified by the fact that the parents are lacking media competence that would increase the confidence regarding the appropriate choice of parenting approach. Understanding both the usefulness and potential risks of the technologies is more abstract and intuitive, the arguments are often irrational and not from in-depth studies of literature, or based on conclusion of the field specialists, but rather on personal assumptions, oral messages of the media and the bystanders. Several families represented a belief that media education becomes relevant at a certain age, which is not defined within this study, and that the surveyed children have not yet reached such age, therefore, in parents’ opinion, poorly targeted approach is still acceptable.  Parents’ lack of knowledge or unwillingness to analyze the issues regarding the impact of technologies is also revealed by children’s superficial understanding of the risks associated with the technology use. The children associate the risks of technology use more with physical threats, which are more evidently identifiable and easier to understand for child’s perception - the children are aware of the mechanically technical damage to the devices themselves and the potential damage to physical health of individuals, the risks of mental health, privacy or safety only in abstract terms.  Children’s technology use habits have correlations with parents’ understanding and practice of technology use. A number of parents’ understanding and logical courses of action are identifiable: a) the parents who use technologies actively themselves, but give a relatively little thought to the content and superficially reflect on the consequences of technology use, they are more familiar with the child’s digital activity habits and are less skeptical about children’s interest in technologies, and mostly slightly critically liberal with regard to the child’s urge to use technologies on a daily basis. The parents in this model prioritize the value and importance of technologies, but they pay secondary attention to the child’s physical and emotional safety. b) the parents who use technologies actively themselves, they look into the content and see the correlations between the use and consequences, they are more demanding with regard to the child as a user, and do not only limit the number, types, duration of use of the technologies, but also ask children to critically assess the role of technologies in general according to their age, their positive and negative features, as well as they orient children towards self-discipline with regard to the technology use by providing parents’ assistance in the virtual reality. c) the parents who see more negative trends in the existence and use of the technologies, they are passive and comparatively rarely use technologies. In such a model raising of a child is more dominated by prohibition to use technologies, which is not explained with reasonable arguments, or minimal attention is paid to children’s technology usage habits. d) the so-called rational technology use model was identified in which the parents are aware of the role of technologies in the present and the future, consider them to be a normal routine components of the family, however, they are aware of and understand the risks involved with regard to the raising of children by trying to balance between the virtual and real activities and by promoting the understanding of the child, as opposed to other models where parents are more focused on the inheritance of views, by not clarifying the reasons and therefore not promoting the child’s ability to judge and media competence. In this model the parents, unlike the others, believe that the media competence should be gradually formed from an early age. e) data from the study allowed to identify a gender contrast model in the parenting approach, in which the fathers are relatively less prejudiced and more technically competent technology users, and delegate more freedom to their children, while mothers are more conservative technology users, who develop more detailed provisions of use for children and often for spouses as well, so that it would be an example for children.  Despite the extensive range of technologies both in households with low income and high-income, the children attaches high priority to the activities of real life - plays, games, physical activities, social contacts, suggesting that the environments are separated and the child is able to choose what he prefers in them both.  Inconsiderate and non-purposeful media education in families also influences the purchase of technologies the reason for which is mostly the availability and affordability of the product in the market, changing fashion trends in technology acquisition, which is associated with a certain affiliation to social circles, implementation tool of penalty and reward system rather than care for achieving particular parenting and learning objectives.