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159
Parents Perceptions about Mobile Technology Use of Preschool Age Children
Genc Z.
Doctor in Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Assist. Prof.
University of Firat, Elazig, Turkey zulfugenc@gmail.com
Summary: Today — 22 years after the birth of the World Wide Web, 15 years after the launch of Google Search, 10 years after the start of the first social networking site, eight years after the first YouTube video, six years after the introduction of the first touch-screen smartphone, five years after the opening of the first "app" store, and a little over two year after the first iPad sale — the media world that children are growing up in is changing at lightning speed. Only a few
month olds babies spend an hour a day watching television, greater than two years kids are begging to play with their parents' smartphones and tablet devices. An accurate understanding of the role of media in children's lives is essential for promoting healthy child development. The purpose of this study is to investigate how preschool age children use mobile technology and to explore parents' perceptions about their children's use. This study involved a general quantitative methodology and design. The sample for this study was of 85 parents from two pre-school in Turkey. Results revealed that preschoolers' smartphone use is prevalent, that the smartphone is generally being used for no educational purposes-only playing game, and that
parents are worried about their children's use.
Key words: Mobile technology, preschool children and digital media, parents perception
