Frequency of digital technology use and social-emotional development of preschool children

Predmet je diplomskog rada učestalost korištenja digitalnih tehnologija i socijalno-emocionalni razvoj djece predškolske dobi. Cilj je bio ispitati učestalost korištenja digitalnih tehnologija i pokazatelja socijalno-emocionalnog razvoja djece predškolske dobi. Djeca predškolske dobi danas vrlo rano počinju koristiti digitalnu tehnologiju te je učestalo koriste. Iako digitalna tehnologija može pozitivno utjecati na djetetov razvoj, njezino prekomjerno korištenje povezano je s negativnim utjecajima na razvoj djeteta predškolske dobi, pa tako i s negativnim utjecajima na njegov socio-emocionalni razvoj. Za potrebe rada provedeno je online anketno istraživanje u kojem je sudjelovalo 217 roditelja djece predškolske dobi. Provedeno istraživanje pokazalo je da djeca prije navršene druge godine života počinju koristiti digitalne uređaje te da ih učestalo koriste (u prosjeku dva sata radnim danima, odnosno 2,5 sati vikendima). Kod predškolske djece nisu prisutni problemi povezani sa socijalno-emocionalnim razvojem. Pokazalo se da dob početka korištenja digitalne tehnologije ne utječe na razvoj problema povezanih sa socijalno-emocionalnim razvojem kod djece predškolske dobi, ali da je učestalost korištenja digitalne tehnologije u određenim slučajevima statistički značajno povezana s problemima u ponašanju te problemima s vršnjacima kod djece predškolske dobi.The subject of the thesis is the frequency of use of digital technologies and the social-emotional development of preschool children. The aim was to examine the frequency of use of digital technologies and indicators of social-emotional development of preschool children. Today, preschool children start using digital technology very early and use it often. Although digital technology can have a positive impact on a child's development, its excessive use is associated with negative impacts on the development of preschool children, and thus with negative impacts on their socio-emotional development. For the purposes of this paper an online survey was conducted in which 217 parents of preschool children participated. The conducted research showed that preeschool children start using digital devices before the age of two and that they use them frequently (an average of two hours on weekdays and 2.5 hours on weekends). There are no problems related to social-emotional development in preschool children. It was shown that the age at which the use of digital technology begins does not affect the development of problems related to social-emotional development in preschool children, but that the frequency of using digital technology in certain cases is statistically significantly related to behavioral problems and problems with peers in children of preeschool age