Examining joint parent-child interactions involving infants and toddlers when introducing mobile technology.

Research suggests that parents play a critical role in introducing technology to their young children and that parent-child joint engagement with technology can improve learning and social outcomes. The present mixed-methods study extends the current literature by directly observing the interactions of 30 parents with their infant or toddler child (ages 12-24 months) while introducing and engaging with familiar and novel mobile technologies. Qualitative analysis of observations yielded five overarching themes that described key content of parent-child interactions. Subthemes further clarified the types of verbal interactions of the child and of the parent, as well as issues of control over the device, activities and selection choices, skill needs/supports, and interest in the interactions. Developmental milestones and parental surveys contributed to the understanding of developmental change and family media use. Familiarity with the device influenced frequencies of identified themes with greater likelihood for fewer interactions, scaffolds and more passive screen activities with familiar technology. More varied verbal scaffolding was related to higher developmental scores. Physical scaffolding was provided infrequently, despite limited skill in the children. Counter to parental expectations, initiating and sustaining interest even for a short period of time was challenging in some cases. Outcomes suggest that parents engage in a wide array of relevant scaffolds with variability across individuals and child age. Overall, the study provides a rich and complex description of interactions and behaviors when parents introduce mobile devices to their infants and toddlers.

Parent Scaffolding of Young Children When Engaged with Mobile Technology.

Shared parent-child experiences while engaged with an iPad(TM) were examined to determine if and then how parents interact with their children when using mobile digital devices. In total, 104 parent-child dyads participated in an observation session where parent-child interactions using the touchscreen tablet device were video recorded in order to observe first-hand the supports and exchanges between parent and child (age range 46.21-75.9 months). Results indicate that parents provide a great deal of support to their children while interacting with the touchscreen tablet device including verbal, emotional-verbal, physical and emotional-physical supports. The types of support offered did not differ as a function of parent gender or experience with mobile devices (users versus non-users). Overall, parents rated their own experience engaging with the touchscreen tablet and that of their child's positively. Additional survey measures assessed parents' perceptions of their child's technology use and attitudes regarding optimal ages and conditions for introducing and using technology. Most parents indicated a preference for very early introduction to mobile technologies. Implications of these findings are discussed.