PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY ON CHILDREN’S

READING HABITS AT HOME

Today's youth are frequently referred to as digital natives (Barlow, 1996; Prensky, 2001b), whereas adults
are frequently referred to as digital immigrants. They grew up at a time when technology was not
ubiquitous. Their youth experiences have shaped their technology culture. This term speaks to the fact
that today's kindergarten through college-age students are the first generation to be raised with modern
technology. They have always been familiar with computers, video games, iPods, video cameras, cell
phones, and other digital age toys. For them, technology is more than just a convenience; it is an
expectation of daily existence.

When technology is not available at home, they adapt (Ito et al., 2008). Children today are learning a
new meaning of literacy (Leu, 2006), often known as "screen literacy" (Brown, 2002). These new
materials and methods enable access to information in a format that many young people in today's
technology-saturated world are accustomed to. Books can be downloaded onto our personal computers
and mobile devices. You don't even need to go to the library to get these things. This literacy includes
the capacity to read not only text but also multimedia texts and the shifting images of computer screens,
game consoles, and web page designs. The capacity to handle this ever-changing array of multimedia
input may be the new literacy of the twenty-first century and an essential component of future learning
processes.

LINKS:

(https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3164&context=etd)

- Barlow, J. P. (1996). A declaration of the independence of cyberspace. Retrieved from

http://homes.eff.org/~barlow/Declaration-Final.html
- Ito, M., Horst, H. A., Bittanti, M., Boyd, D., Herr-Stephenson, B., Lange, P. G., . . . Robinson, L.
(2008). Living and learning with new media: summary of findings from the digital youth project.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Prensky, M. (2001b). Digital natives, digital immigrants, Part II: Do they really think differently?
On the Horizon, 9(6), 1-6.
- Leu, D. J. (2006). The new literacies: Research on reading instruction with the Internet and other
digital technologies. In A. E. Farstrup & S. J. Samuels (Eds.), What research has to say about
reading instruction (pp. 310-336). Newark, DE: International Reading Association
- Brown, J. S. (2002). Learning in the digital age. In M. Devlin, R. Larson, & J. Meyerson (Eds.), The
Internet and the university: 2001 forum (pp. 65-91). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE.
Parents’ Acceptance of Educational Technology: Lessons From Around the World

The provision of devices and Internet connection are important measures, but they are not the only
ones. Working closely with parents to assist them in using technology to boost their children's learning is
also important (Cruddas, 2020). There is little data on parents' ability to improve their abilities and the
characteristics that enable their engagement with their children's learning when using existing online
learning support platforms selected by schools. The available data is minimal and primarily details the
provision of devices, internet connection, and parental concerns about their abilities to keep their
children safe online (UNICEF, 2020). O'Brien et al. (2014) discovered that children whose parents
participated in intervention programs grew significantly in language and literacy. These findings support
the idea that parents are the best partners to close achievement gaps (Goodall, 2017). Hence, parents,
as equal partners, with a voice and an active presence, support learning and not only homework or the
curriculum.

LINKS:

(https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719430/full)

- Cruddas, L. (2020). Parental Engagement Key to Overcoming Covid Disruption. Available online

at: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/parental-engagement-is-key-to-overcoming-continued-disruption (access
ed March 22, 2021).

- UNICEF (2020). How Many Children and Young People Have Internet Access at Home? Estimating
Digital Connectivity During the COVID-19 Pandemic. New York, NY: UNICEF.

- OFCOM (2020). Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2019. Available online
at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/190616/children-media-use-attitudes-2019-
report.pdf (accessed May 7, 2020).

- O’ Brien, L. M., Paratore, J. R., Leighton, C. M., Cassano, C. M., Krol-Sinclair, B., and Greif Green, J.
(2014). Examining differential effects of a family literacy program on language and 40 literacy growth of
English language learners with varying vocabularies. J. Lit. Res. 46, 383–415. doi:
10.1177/1086296X14552180

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

-Goodall, J. (2017). Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Parental Engagement with Children’s

Learning. Abingdon: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315672465

WAYS
 Internet Safety for Kids: How to Protect Your Child from the Top 7 Dangers They Face Online

The internet may be a dangerous place for everyone, but children and teenagers are particularly
vulnerable. Online dangers can have serious, costly, or even tragic consequences, ranging from cyber
predators to social media posts that can come back to haunt individuals later in life. The vast majority of
teens, 90%, believe cyberbullying is a problem, and 63% say it is a serious problem. Furthermore,
according to a 2018 survey of children's online behavior, approximately 60% of children who use social
media have witnessed some form of bullying, and most children have ignored the behavior for various
reasons. According to enough.org(2018), nearly half (47%) of all young people had been victims of
cyberbullying. Social media and online games are today's virtual playgrounds, where most cyberbullying
occurs, and they are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Being comfortable talking to your
children about what is going on in their lives online and in real life (IRL) and how to stand up to bullies is
the finest foundation for protecting against cyberbullying. Cybersecurity software and specialized apps
for monitoring your child's online and mobile activity can be useful, but nothing can replace open
communication. The internet can be extremely dangerous to children. It can also open up doors of
amazement for them that earlier generations could never have imagined. Assist in ensuring your
children's online safety so that they can enjoy the benefits and avoid the dangers of the internet world.
Be aware. Maintain vigilance. But, most importantly, be actively involved in your children's digital and
day-to-day lives and communicate openly with them.

LINKS:

https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/top-seven-dangers-children-face-online

- https://enough.org/stats_cyberbullying

Protecting children online

According to UNICEF (2022), Growing up online provides boundless chances. Children learn,
imagine, and develop their social networks by using computers, smartphones, game consoles,
and televisions. When used correctly and made available to all, the internet has the ability to
broaden horizons and stimulate creativity all throughout the world. However, with these
opportunities come significant risks. When young people use social media or instant messaging
services, they are vulnerable to cyberbullying and other forms of peer violence. Children may be
exposed to hate speech and violent content while surfing the internet, including messages
encouraging self-harm and even death. Children can also be endangered when digital
corporations violate their privacy in order to obtain data for marketing objectives. Child-targeted
marketing via apps, as well as the excessive screen time that it frequently results in, can
jeopardize a child's healthy development. Online safety strategies must protect the educational
and health benefits of digital technology while also addressing the risks of exposure to violence,
exploitation, and abuse, as well as privacy breaches. UNICEF works to ensure that children can
learn, socialize, and express themselves safely on the internet. We collaborate with
governments to push for appropriate regulation, and we collaborate with technology businesses
to promote the implementation of acceptable safety measures on their platforms. We also work
with education ministries to teach children digital literacy and internet safety. We collect
evidence on children's digital rights, opportunities, and hazards through our Global Kids Online
and Disrupting damage programs to better understand how digital technology contributes to
their lives and when it increases their risk of damage.

LINK:

https://www.unicef.org/protection/violence-against-children-online