Modern Children’s Interaction with Digital Technologies
According to a new study conducted by the Yandex Plus service, it has been found that modern children actively interact with digital technologies from a very young age. In fact, the study reveals that every second child, aged 5-7 years, now has their own smartphone or tablet.
The study, which involved 1450 active Internet users residing in cities with a population over 100 thousand people and having children aged 3 to 12 years, was carried out using the online survey method on the Yandex view platform.
The survey results indicate that 84% of preschoolers use gadgets for no more than two hours a day. However, as children grow older, the time spent behind the screen increases. In elementary school, children between the ages of 7 and 10 spend from 3 to 5 hours a day on their smartphones, as reported by 33% of parents. A significant increase is observed at the age of 11-12 years, where more than half of schoolchildren use a smartphone or tablet for up to 8 hours a day.
The study also reveals that among children aged 3 to 12 years, 83% use the Internet through their gadgets. This percentage starts at two-thirds among preschoolers and increases to more than 90% with the start of school education.
In terms of parental involvement, the study shows that 81% of parents of children aged 11-12 years allow them to choose what to watch or read on the Internet. Among parents of preschool children aged 3 to 6 years, this percentage is 56%.
Despite the relatively broad freedom of choice, 88% of parents place some restrictions on their children’s interaction with gadgets. Some parents actively monitor their children’s actions online, while others set time limits for device usage or ask children to avoid unwanted content.
Furthermore, there is a growing interest in educational content among children. While only 25% of preschoolers are interested in educational videos, this percentage increases to 40% among younger students and 47% among children aged 11-12 years.
On average, about half of the children use educational services and applications at least once a day. Interestingly, 72% of those who use these services engage in them with the involvement of both parents, while another 23% use them completely independently.