\u27It\u27s All About The Apps\u27: Parental Mediation Of Pre-schoolers\u27 Digital Lives

A young mother with a two-year-old and a four-year-old is asked about her experience of parenting. \u27I can\u27t believe how much is different,\u27 she says, \u27between the first child and the second. It\u27s all about the apps.\u27 Elsewhere in the room, the two pre-schoolers are absorbed in collaborative play with an iPad. Across the continent, a distant relative prepares for a pre-arranged Skype session with her young niece and nephew. She wonders whether the youngest, who has never video-conferenced before, will recognise and talk to her. These children are growing up with a game changer. What had been hailed as \u27the Semantic Web\u27 is turning out to be something creatively different. This article uses a series of vignettes to examine the power of the app, from Playschool Playtime to Skype, to highlight, analyse and discuss young children\u27s (aged from birth to five) digital interventions facilitated by a download and touchscreen technologies