Relationship between young children's habitual computer use and influencing variables on socio‐emotional development

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between young children's habitual computer use and influencing variables on socio‐emotional development. The participants were 179 five‐year‐old children. The Internet Addiction Scale for Young Children (IASYC) was used to identify children with high and low levels of habituation to computer use. The data for this study were collected using the Socio‐Emotional Development Scale and questionnaires regarding children's computer use at home and in the classroom. Results of this study show that for computer use both in the home and in the classroom, children with a higher score on the IASYC had a lower score on the Socio‐Emotional Development Scale. Conversely, children with a higher score on the Socio‐Emotional Development Scale had a lower score on the Internet Addiction Scale. Moreover, variables regarding children's computer use at home influenced the children's score on level of habituation more than variables of their computer use in the classroom.

Keywords:

• habitual computer use
• socio‐emotional development
• computer use at home
• computer use in the classroom

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Kyungsung University Research Grants in 2010.