How technology is transforming the ways in which children play

ABSTRACT

Technology is a prominent way that young children choose to play. With new advents in technology, children are finding it easier to gain access to technology through parents’ cell phones and tablets. The influx of technology in the daily lives of children is putting into question whether or not children are spending too much time engaging in such play. In the current study, data were collected on how 3–5-year-old children played on a typical weekday and weekend. Of the weekday activities, parents (n = 31) reported 53.00 hours of technology play for an average of 1.71 hours per child per day. There was an increased amount of time spent on non-technology activities listed by parents for a total of 59.25 hours and an average of 1.91 hours per child. A smaller number of parents (n = 14) recorded outdoor play, totalling 17.50 hours with an average of 1.25 hours per child.

KEYWORDS:

• Play
• technology
• preschool children

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Ruslan Slutsky is Professor of Early Childhood Education at The University of Toledo. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in early childhood education. His research is qualitative in nature with current interests focusing on the Reggio Emilia approach, and children's use of technology during play.

Lori M. DeShetler is the Accreditation and Assessment Director in the Judith Herb College of Education. Her research interests focus on play and technology and how they connect to school readiness.