Abstract
The role of digital technology (DT) is complex and dynamic, and it has become a significant element of early childhood education and care professional practices and philosophy. Children are early adopters and frequent users of the internet for play, communication and access for information (UNICEF, 2017). DT supports children learning and literacy skills (Flewitt et al., 2015; Kucirkova et al., 2019), digital creativity and digital play (Sakr, 2019), but it has been associated with social problems such as addiction (Ding and Li, 2023; Hermawati et al., 2018). Undheim’s (2022) definition of DT refers to electronic tools, various digital devices, including digital resources and digital content. The term digital child refers to those children who have grown up with DTs including digital environment and digital space and little experience without DT. Digital literacy refers to the knowledge, skills and attitudes that allow children to be both safe and empowered in an increasingly digital world. This encompasses their play, participation, socialising, searching and learning through DTs. This chapter will examine children in a world changing faster than ever, and the development of the ‘digital child’
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Contemporary Issues and the 21st Century Child |
Subtitle of host publication | New Perspectives on Childhood |
Editors | Andre Kurowski, Sandra Lyndon |
Place of Publication | London |
Publisher | SAGE Publications Ltd |
Chapter | 3 |
Pages | 29-45 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781529679106 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781529618778 |
Publication status | Published - 14 Oct 2024 |
Keywords
- digital technology
- digital child
- early childhood education and care