Navigating the Digital Landscape with Your Child

Widespread access to mobile devices offers exciting educational opportunities, but they should be approached with reasonable caution. As the use of tablets and smartphones by young children increases, parents are keen to understand what effective digital parenting looks like today. Digital parenting is complex and dynamic, influenced by various factors, with research in this area still emerging.

Children Under 18 Months: Screen Time and Video Chat

Screen Time Recommendations: The Ministry of Health (MOH) advises against screen time for children under 18 months, except for interactive video chatting. This allows young children to develop and maintain relationships with distant family members (e.g., grandparents), helping them recognise faces and respond to voices.

Benefits and Limitations: Interactive video chats, typically lasting around 20 minutes, are child-centered and engage children in meaningful interactions. However, researchers remind parents that this technology cannot replace face-to-face interactions with local family and friends; it should be used primarily for connecting with remote relatives.

Children from 18 Months to 6 Years: Screen Time and Early Literacy Development

Educational Apps 

Research shows that young children can learn new words from interactive educational apps. Research demonstrated that social contingency interactions, such as a back-and-forth exchange between the caregiver and the child, are crucial for early literacy development because these interactions involve caregivers tailoring their speech to the child’s preferences and abilities. Apps that simulate these interactions are highly beneficial. For instance, apps that allow multiple users (such as a child and adult co-using the app, or two children playing together) promote shared experiences and collaborative learning. Additionally, apps that encourage interactions beyond the screen, like linking items in the app with household objects, further enhance learning by connecting digital and real-world experiences. However, usefulness will depend on factors like children’s fine motor skills and executive function. When selecting apps, those offering self-paced experiences are particularly valuable, as they align with children’s abilities, preferences, and goals. It’s important to minimise distracting features (e.g., unnecessary animation, sound and music) and focus on elements that reinforce learning objectives.

AI-Assisted Conversational Agents

Smart speakers and other AI-assisted devices have become popular these past few years. They can support early literacy by engaging children in guided reading, encouraging dialogue, and responding to questions. However, many existing smart speakers are not designed for young children and may struggle to understand their speech and provide age-inappropriate answers. Parents should choose devices with features like parental controls and child-specific content to ensure age-appropriate interactions.

Parental Involvement

Active parental engagement is essential for enhancing early literacy development. By participating in tech experiences with their children, parents provide personalised support that significantly boosts learning outcomes by enhancing the social contingent interactions. Apps and smart speakers designed for co-use facilitate meaningful interactions, and learning opportunities are desired.

Screen Time Recommendations: Less than one hour a day.

Children from 7 to 12 Years Old: ICT Use and Learning

Learning about ICT

Digital literacy (aka ICT literacy) has become essential. High levels of digital literacy can protect children from internet addiction and related mental health issues. Teaching children how to use technology responsibly and effectively is crucial.

Learning with ICT

Digital tools can enhance learning by providing varied or individualized feedback based on performance. For example, tech-based systems can adapt to each student’s learning pace, offering targeted support.

Learning through ICT

Parents can support children to use ICT to transform the process of learning, learning in new ways. For example, learning coding and robotics helps develop problem-solving and computational thinking skills. Platforms like Scratch allow children to create interactive stories, games, and animations, while kits like LEGO Mindstorms enable them to build and program robots. This fosters creativity, logical thinking, and technical skills essential in the digital age.

Your Role as a Parent

Digital Parenting Practice

Parents play a crucial role in mediating their children’s use of digital devices. Active engagement, such as explaining and discussing media content and guiding appropriate media use, is highly recommended. Participating in digital activities with their children can enhance learning experiences and foster healthy digital habits.

However, outright restriction of digital use might backfire by preventing children from developing essential digital literacy skills. Instead, moderate and mindful restrictions on digital use are suggested. This balanced approach helps children learn to use technology responsibly and effectively while ensuring they develop the necessary skills to navigate the digital world.

Mindful Use of Technology

Parents’ own digital habits matter. They serve as role models, and their mindful use of technology can positively influence their children. Setting boundaries and designated “tech-free” times can prioritise family interactions over digital distractions, reducing the risk of negative impacts like increased behavioural issues.

Screen Time Recommendations: Less than two hours a day.

By understanding the nuances of digital parenting and these strategies, parents can effectively navigate the digital landscape with their children. Emphasising interactive, educational, and balanced use of technology can foster healthy development and strong family relationships.