Technology is an inescapable part of our lives today. Children are being introduced to smartphones and tablets at an increasingly early age, but it is not yet clear what impact this has on their development. In collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, Prof. Charles L Mifsud and Rositsa Petrova (Faculty of Education, University of Malta) have set out to find answers to these questions.
Previously, most research conducted on how technology affects children was limited to ages between nine and sixteen. This project pushed those boundaries, with the youngest participant being just four years old. Mifsud and Petrova also made sure to interview parents and children separately to ensure that the children would not lie about their technology use to avoid getting into trouble. A total of 10 local families were involved.
The final reports highlighted the fact that devices attract children because of their touch functionality and instant responsiveness. This said, striking a balance between traditional toys and digital devices is beneficial. Other potential benefits of technology were contribution towards early awareness of reading and writing, and its ability to allow children to explore and engage.
One major concern emerged from the study and that was the fact that children often become more technologically proficient than their parents.More needs to be done to educate parents so that they can communicate effectively with their children and meaningfully engage with their device use.