Use of Touch Devices by Toddlers or Preschoolers: Observations and Findings from a Single-Case Study

Abstract

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Young children’s interest-driven information practices

“…This highlights the importance of attending to individual differences in young children’s experiences (Christensen and James, 2008; Rideout, 2014), as well as differences in information activities dependent on the specific interest under discussion. Additionally, consistent with the work of Agarwal (2014), children’s activities often moved between technological and non-technological environments, an element of children’s information practices that may be elided by the proliferation of research that focuses on children’s use of specific types of information and media platforms, such as internet search engines or television shows, rather than research that takes a more holistic approach to understanding children’s experiences with information and media across platforms (Woodfall and Zezulkova, 2016). Based on these findings, libraries and other information institutions [2] should continue to provide access to materials about a wide range of topics in diverse formats.…”

“…Many of the children’s self-described information seeking activities are consistent with prior research that has found that young children engage with various forms of media and technology (Agarwal, 2014; Barriage, 2016; Foss et al , 2012; Given et al , 2016; Havigerová and Haviger, 2014; Lovato et al , 2019; Oranç and Ruggeri, 2021; Rideout and Robb, 2020; Schlebbe, 2022), print sources (Barriage, 2022; Cooper, 2002; McKechnie, 2006; Shenton, 2004) and other people, including family members and peers (Barriage, 2016, 2022; Barriage and Searles, 2015; Shenton and Dixon, 2003b; Stewart, 2016), in their pursuit of information. Participants in this study also talked about experiences as ways of finding out new information.…”

“…Ninety-eight percent of children eight years of age and younger in the USA have some type of mobile device in their home, while 88% have either a desktop or laptop computer (Rideout and Robb, 2020). Studies have shown that young children seek information from a range of technological information sources, including television, smartphones, tablets and computers (Agarwal, 2014; Barriage, 2016; Foss et al , 2012; Given et al , 2016; Havigerová and Haviger, 2014; Schlebbe, 2022; Spink et al , 2010) and, more recently, voice-activated virtual assistants (Lovato et al , 2019; Oranç and Ruggeri, 2021; Rideout and Robb, 2020). Young children may use such technology alone or in collaboration with others such as their family members (Given et al , 2016; Rideout and Katz, 2016).…”

Toward effective use and balance: Investigating pros and cons of smartphone use in an interview study

“…Mobile communication can have both positive effects in improving subjective well‐being (see e.g. Agarwal, ; Chan, ) and negative impacts upon excessive use, with smartphone addiction potentially leading to ill health, including physical, psychological, and social issues or affecting work‐life balance (Dén‐Nagy, ; Ding & Li, ; Haug et al, ). We investigate the following research questions: RQ1.…”

Language investigations of children's information sources: A research agenda

“…For example, a recent publication concentrated on the information seeking behaviors of children is focused exclusively on children and youth already engaged in formal schooling (Chelton & Cool, ). On the other hand, as researchers have begun focusing more broadly on information behavior, theory building around young children's information behaviors has captured some attention (Agarwal, ; Byrnes & Bernacki, ; Spink & Heinstrom, ).…”