Learning from screens in early childhood: A double-edge sword

The present study aims to examine the long-term process of learning from screen in early childhood in the child’s familial environment. Specificall , it focuses on the process of screen-aided acquisition of a second language by a young girl (here called Dana) who was 12 months old at the beginning of the study and three years old towards its end. The family was selected for in-depth analysis because of the great emphasis that Dana’s mother placed on use of touchscreen media to support her
daughter’s learning of English. First and foremost, the research findings demonstrate the limitations of this use, especially when it is not accompanied by appropriate parental mediation. The study shows that use of a smartphone for learning purposes without the mother’s instructive mediation was barely able to advance Dana’s English acquisition that was limited to phonetic elements only. Moreover, the findings reveal that with her mother’s encouragement, Dana acquired highly problematic smartphone use habits that could be harmful to her health and development. Hence, the research findings call for increasing media literacy among parents of infants and toddlers who need to know how to support the development of appropriate media habits among their young children