Why is guidance on young children and digital technology needed now? As a Discussion Paper is released—Towards a Statement on young children and digital technology—co-chairs of ECA’s Digital Policy Group (DPG), Professor Susan Edwards and Professor Leon Straker, address this question and reveal some of the findings from work so far.
You may have heard or seen that Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is developing a Statement on young children and digital technology. In developing the statement we have listened to what educators and parents think about young children and digital technology, as well reviewed the research evidence to analyse what it is actually telling us about young children and digital technology. This work has now been brought together in a Discussion Paper that ECA have now released for consultation.
Why do we now need a statement that guides us in regards to how young children engage in digital technology?
Digital technology is used in educational settings and workplaces around the world for a diverse range of tasks including communication, research, sharing information, socialising, playing and recording images and videos. It is increasingly present within family life, and many young children are interacting with apps, games and high-tech toys that are designed specifically for the under-five age bracket. As young children are born into this tech-connected society, early childhood professionals are increasingly responding to questions on the rightful role and optimal use of digital technology in early childhood settings.
While early childhood educators may be familiar with other types of technology being used in the early learning setting, such as mechanical or analogue technologies, the sector is still developing knowledge about the role of digital technology in early learning, its role in young children’s lives and what digital activities look like in early learning settings.
This is why the development of a statement that focuses specifically on digital technology is both important and timely. It will help early childhood professionals—and the sector as a whole—to build the knowledge base required to ensure that digital technology use in early childhood settings supports and promotes the best interests of young children.
In thinking about the statement, it has become clear that statements are not the same as guidelines. Guidelines provide recommendations for practice based on rigorous research and evaluation, whereas statements represent the views of an organisation based on the best available evidence. The ECA Statement on young children and digital technology will provide principle-based advice to help early childhood professionals make decisions about young children and digital technology that are relevant to the needs, expectations and experiences of their communities.
So what have we found so far? Seven key findings have been identified, the first three of which acknowledge the context in which the discussion is happening, while the last four help us to identify the areas on which the statement may focus.
The seven key findings are as follows:
- The sector believes a statement on young children and digital technology is needed to help early childhood professionals make decisions about, and advocate for, digital technology use that is in the best interest of the child.
- There are diverse opinions in the early childhood sector about how and why young children can use digital technology to support positive outcomes.
- Recognising that digital technology is part of many young children’s daily lives means that early childhood professionals need to consider how and why digital technology is used in early learning settings.
- Young children and their families need to build knowledge about how to be safe and active digital citizens when using digital technology in their daily lives.
- The health and wellbeing of young children using digital technology is important and includes children’s physical activity, posture, sleep, emotions and social interactions.
- Knowledge about digital play and pedagogy helps early childhood professionals integrate digital technology into play-based learning and intentional teaching experiences for young children.
- Relationships between children, families and early childhood professionals using digital technology matter.
We encourage everyone that works and cares for young children to read the discussion paper and give their feedback here: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-work/submissions-statements/eca-statement-young-children-digital-technology-use/
This blog was written by Professor Susan Edwards and Professor Leon Straker, co-chairs of ECA’s Digital Policy Group. You can learn more about the work of the DPG and the Statement by clicking here.
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Challenges Educators Face When Children Engage in Excessive Screen Time at Home
In the current digital era, technology plays a significant role in the lives of young children. While digital devices have the potential to enhance learning, excessive screen time at home can create substantial challenges for educators in childcare settings. Children who spend large amounts of time watching or interacting with screens often exhibit difficulties that negatively affect teaching, learning, and classroom management. This essay examines the key challenges educators face as a result of excessive home screen time and its impact on children’s attention, self-regulation, and social engagement within childcare environments.
One of the most prominent challenges educators encounter is the reduced ability of children to sustain attention during learning activities. Children who have grown accustomed to fast-paced, highly stimulating digital content frequently struggle to engage in the slower, more focused tasks typical of childcare curricula. According to Madigan, Racine, and Tough (2023), such children are easily distracted and often shift their focus away from group activities or instructions. This fragmented attention interferes with educators’ capacity to deliver effective lessons and impedes the development of foundational cognitive skills.
In addition to attention difficulties, excessive screen time at home is strongly linked to impaired self-regulation in young children. Self-regulation — the ability to control one’s emotions, behaviors, and impulses — is crucial for success in early education environments (Wang et al., 2024). Children accustomed to instant gratification through digital devices often find it challenging to wait their turn, follow classroom rules, or manage frustration. Consequently, educators face increased behavioral disruptions that require additional time and resources for management, detracting from instructional activities and negatively impacting overall classroom dynamics.
Social skill deficits represent another significant issue linked to excessive home screen use. Educators frequently observe that children who spend substantial time on screens demonstrate difficulties in cooperative play, sharing, and communicating with peers (Rideout, Robb, & Foehr, 2023). These challenges hinder educators’ efforts to facilitate group learning experiences and cultivate a positive, collaborative classroom environment. Moreover, limited peer engagement can contribute to social isolation, affecting children’s emotional well-being and confidence in social contexts.
Furthermore, educators often struggle to maintain consistent classroom routines due to irregular sleep patterns and overstimulation associated with high screen use. Screen exposure, particularly before bedtime, disrupts children’s sleep, resulting in fatigue and irritability during childcare hours (Hale & Guan, 2023). Fatigued children are less responsive to instructions and more prone to emotional outbursts, complicating educators’ ability to sustain a calm and orderly learning environment.
In conclusion, excessive screen time at home presents multiple challenges for educators in childcare settings, including diminished attention spans, impaired self-regulation, social skill deficits, and behavioral issues. These challenges demand increased classroom management efforts and can reduce the quality and quantity of instructional time. To promote healthy development and optimize learning outcomes, collaboration between educators, parents, and caregivers is essential to establish balanced technology use and reinforce social and emotional learning. Addressing the negative impacts of excessive screen time is vital to creating supportive and effective childcare environments.
References
• Hale, L., & Guan, S. (2023). Screen time and sleep among children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 48(2), 123-135. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsac001
• Madigan, S., Racine, N., & Tough, S. (2023). Associations between screen time and children’s attention in early childhood. Pediatrics, 151(1), e20230212. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-0212
• Rideout, V., Robb, M., & Foehr, U. (2023). Social skills and media use: Challenges for educators. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51(3), 215-224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01336-7
• Wang, G., Zhang, Y., Zhao, J., & Fang, Q. (2024). Screen exposure and self-regulation difficulties in preschoolers.