The sibling as a factor of parental control over the use of gadgets by children

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the impact on parental strategies of regulating children’s digital gadgets from having a second child in the family. Ninety-three mothers took part in the survey. Twenty women had two children, one woman – three children, the others women – on one child. Parents evaluated the frequency of use of digital devices by each child and then filled out several checklists. The mathematical processing of data is represented by the analysis of сrosstabs (Cramer’s V Test and Somer’s D Test). The results of the study show that the use of digital devices is widespread among young children. At the same time, with the presence of senior siblings, the age of admission of the child to digital devices decreases. Thus, young children are exposed to digital technologies. Most parents seek to regulate the time and content children use. However, their rules were less stringent for the second child in the family. Parents should pay more attention to this.