Preschool children’s use of digital technology from the parental perspective

Gradišek, Polona (author), Golob, Polona (author)

Preschool children increasingly encounter and use digital technology. This study explores how often they use it, for what purposes, and what content they engage with. A total of 166 parents of preschool children participated. Results show that screen time increases with age; children up to six years old use digital devices for up to 60 minutes daily, regardless of urban or rural living environments. Digital technology is most often used for entertainment, primarily to watch cartoons. The findings provide timely insight into digital technology use among preschool children.

• Language: English
• Keywords: digital technology, preschool children, parents, screens, use
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 133-150
• Numbering: Vol. 19, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-184538
• UDC: 373.2:004
• ISSN on article: 2350-4803
• DOI: 10.18690
• COBISS.SI-ID: 284168195
• Publication date in RUL: 09.07.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Revija za elementarno izobraževanje
• Publisher: Univerzitetna založba Univerze v Mariboru
• ISSN: 2350-4803
• COBISS.SI-ID: 271923456

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Uporaba digitalne tehnologije pri predšolskih otrocih z vidika staršev

Abstract

Že predšolski otroci se srečujejo z digitalno tehnologijo in jo tudi uporabljajo. Preučili smo, kako pogosto predšolski otroci uporabljajo digitalno tehnologijo in s katerim namenom ter s katerimi vsebinami se pri tem srečujejo. V raziskavi je sodelovalo 166 staršev predšolskih otrok. Rezultati so pokazali, da čas uporabe digitalne tehnologije s starostjo otrok narašča, in sicer jo otroci do šestega leta starosti v povprečju uporabljajo do 60 minut dnevno ne glede na mestno ali podeželsko okolje bivanja. Tehnologijo najpogosteje uporabljajo za namen razvedrila, od tega najpogosteje gledajo risanke za otroke. Raziskava ponuja aktualen vpogled v uporabo digitalne tehnologije pri predšolskih otrocih.

• Keywords: digitalna tehnologija, predšolski otroci, starši, zasloni, uporaba