“IT DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK, BUT IT HELPS”: PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF BABY’S SCREEN EXPOSURE
Abstract
Considering the large number of children under the age of two that are constantly exposed to digital screens, concerns about child development have been emerging and becoming the focus of academic and clinical discussions. In order to understand the reasons why parents expose their infants to digital technologies, we conducted in-depth interviews with mothers and fathers of infants aged between 10 and 17 months-old living in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Despite the guidelines of local pediatric societies, our data points to divergences between what is recommended by the board of pediatrics and the patterns of screen exposure documented in our study. Parents, out of unawareness and/or urgent need, introduce their babies to digital technologies. Parents claimed to be concerned with the future of children and perceived early access to digital technology as an important tool to improve cognitive skills and to strength family bonds. Conversely, parents had concerns in face of technology at the expense of other forms of play. Our findings highlight that parents need additional guidance and support, while professionals should weight needs and daily challenges experienced by families when formulating guidelines.
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