Early Childhood Education and Care and the Use of Digital Media in Informal Environments

Families rely on formal and informal settings for the early childhood education and care of their young children, where they are constantly shaped by experiences and relationships with their caregivers. In a world that is increasingly reliant on digital media, parents and other caregivers play an important role in managing their children's use of digital media during the first eight years of children's lives when they spend most of their time at home or in other informal environments outside of school. This article uncovers the recent trends on the use of the most commonly used digital screen media by children from birth to 8 years of age. These trends demonstrate that parents' choices about the media environment they establish for their children depend on their knowledge about how children learn from any kind of digital media and how the use of digital media impacts their children's development. The article reviews existing literature to address concerns about the potential benefits and risks of children's use of digital media in informal environments and provides guidance to parents and other caregivers on becoming media literate.