Mobile device use among preschool-aged children in Greece

Abstract

In the last decade, interactive touchscreen devices have become ubiquitous in young children, and toddlers first experience touchscreen technology before two. Although parents have a vital role in developing the home environment as a stimulus for development, they also have conflicting views on the appropriateness of using apps to deliver educational content for assorted reasons. The purpose of the study was to reveal various aspects of children’s smart mobile use at home, such as the frequency of mobile device usage, preferred app types, and parent beliefs and strategies. Three hundred twenty-five parents of kindergarten children took part in this study. The present study revealed that parents seek to support their children’s learning at home via mobile devices. Furthermore, parents lack knowledge about app developmentally appropriateness and need further guidance. We expect the findings to serve as a reference for researchers to better information for parents and create apps with real educational value for children.