Screens and children : a study into the representations and attitudes of parents and early childhood professionals

In today’s social and technological context different kinds of screens are used by increasingly young audiences and play a significant role in family and social life (Ólafsson, Livingstone & Haddon, 2014). Yet parents face anxieties and difficulties in dealing with evolving digital technologies, and early childhood professionals raise questions about the effects of these on the development and well-being of children. This paper analyses, in French-speaking Belgium, the ways in which the parents of children aged 0-6 talk about their children’s use of screens, the parents’ attitudes toward using screens at home, and the ways in which the parents regulate (or not) their children’s media use. Moreover, this study was also aimed at early childhood professionals who have a close relationship with families and can therefore provide additional insights into how parents deal with their children’s use of screens. We were also interested in the professionals’ own attitudes and representations toward screen use in early childhood. This study was funded by the Belgian Office National de la Naissance et de l’Enfance (ONE) to inform the development of awareness actions aimed at ONE’s target groups, e.g. the children, their parents and the early childhood professionals. Both researched groups were approached through a quantitative survey followed by qualitative focus group interviews. First, the survey consisted in an online questionnaire (one version for each group) focusing on the parents’ (n=1798) and professionals’ (n=643) attitudes and practices toward screens and the children’s media use at home. A procedure was implemented in collaboration with ONE professionals in order to reach out to families that are less connected. Second, two sets of focus group interviews were organised in order to get deeper insights into the professionals’ and parents’ representations of screen use in early childhood and their information or training needs in that respect. Our findings show that parents and professionals are generally unfavourable to the use of screens by children because screens are seen as potentially harmful to the children’s development. This contrasts with the fact that households have on average six different types of screens, most of which are in collective spaces (e.g. the living room). This negative attitude is reflected in the parents’ and even more the professionals’ attempts to restrict or even prohibit the uses of screens by children. However, the dynamics of family life makes this strategy ineffective. Parents and professionals only have limited discussions about the children’s uses of screens and mostly address possible restrictive measures. However, a few parents encourage their children to selectively use media that support their individual and social development, and most express a willingness to accompany children rather than restrict their use of screens. Both parents and childhood professionals are aware of the need to educate children to screens, but they struggle to identify positive behaviours toward these objects that are both coveted and worrying. The study points to the need to develop media education initiatives aimed at parents and childhood professionals