National Report of Spain:
“A Day in the Digital Lives of 0-3 Year Olds”
papers infancia_c nº 22
April 2019
Authors:
Mitsuko Matsumoto**, Cristina Aliagas*, Marta Morgade** and David Poveda**
*Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona
** Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 2
To cite this document:
Matsumoto, M; Aliagas, C; Morgade, M. and Poveda, D. (2019). National Report of Spain:
"A Day in the Digital Lives of 0-3 Year Olds". Papers Infancia_c, nº 22, 1-35
Executive summary
This report summarises the work carried out by researchers in Spain as part of the ‘A Day
in the Digital Lives of Children Aged 0–3’ project research of DigiLitEY COST Action
(IS1410) Working Group 1 ‘Digital Literacy in Homes and Communities’. 13 families from
six European countries participated, and in the case of Spain, two families participated,
being recruited one each from Madrid and Barcelona. The research methodology was
mainly a qualitative case study approach drawing from the ‘Day in the Life’ approach
(DITL) (Gillen et al., 2007; Gillen & Cameron, 2010) - using a combination of interviews,
observational field notes and video recordings to collect data - focusing on one day in the
life of the child and their family. Additionally, we collected comparable quantitative data in
the form of inventories, such as those of technologies available in the home. In this report,
we share the findings on the two cases from Spain, following a common report guideline
drawn up for the project: 1) a summary of the process of data collection (recruitment, the
first visit, the ‘day’, and the final interview); and 2) responses to the research questions. In
appendices, additionally, we include the summary or transcription of the interviews with the
parents and the inventories of digital devices and activities by the two focal children.
Keywords
Digital literacy, young children 0-3, home, parental mediation, A day in life methodology,
observation.
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Table of contents
Executive summary
2
Keywords
2
Introduction
4
Research Questions
The Structure of the Report
5
5
Methodology
5
Catalunya Family
7
Madrid Family
14
References
20
Appendices
22
Appendix 1-A: Contextual information about Roser's family
Appendix 1-B: Summary of the responses to the prompt questions in the iterative
interview
Appendix II-A: Contextual information about Gloria’s family
Appendix II-B: Summary of the responses to the prompt questions in the iterative
interview with Gloria’s parents
Appendix III: inventories of digital devices and activities by Roser and Gloria
22
23
28
29
35
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 4
Introduction
This report summarises the work carried out by researchers in Spain as part of the ‘A Day
in the Digital Lives of Children Aged 0–3’ project research of DigiLitEY COST Action
(IS1410) Working Group 1 ‘Digital Literacy in Homes and Communities’. The ‘A Day in the
Digital Lives of Children aged 0–3’ project aims to identify the way in which digital
technologies inform the lives of very young children and their families. Most research
focusing on the benefits and challenges associated with children’s use of technology has,
so far, mainly targeted 9-16 years olds (e.g. (Byrne, Kardefelt-Wither, Livingstone, &
Stoilova, 2016; Livingstone, Haddon, Görzig, & Ólafsson, 2011; Mascheroni & Cuman,
2014). Over the past few years, however, the digital practices and literacies of children
under eight have been the focus of relevant research, and the area of study is rapidly
growing (e.g. (Chaudron, 2015; Chaudron, Di Gioia, & Gemo, 2018; Sefton-Green, Marsh,
Erstad, & Flewitt, 2016) while a wide range of media may be accessible from infancy
(Marsh et al., 2015). Children are going online at younger ages, too, which may involve
risks as well as providing new developmental and learning opportunities (Byrne et al;
2016). And, their digital practices and skills developed at home have important implications
for their learning in school (e.g. Sefton-Green, Marsh, Erstad, & Flewitt, 2016). Different
networks of researchers involved in the area of study propose that increasing the body of
research on younger children especially children aged under five continues to be a priority
(Ólafsson, Livingstone, & Haddon, 2013).
The research programme A Day in the Digital Lives of Children Aged 0-3 responded to the
call; it focuses on children below 36 months of age and centring on video recording and
observing one full day of a child's activity, rather than relying on parents’ (self-)reports or
retrospective interviews with them as is often the case in existing studies. Our study is
transnational, involving children of varying ages within this group and takes a dynamic
view of culture. The research team is multidisciplinary, including from Media and
Communications Studies, Education and Cultural Psychology. Data was collected in
2017-18.
Two cross-national reports have been produced so far.
1) A summary report: Gillen, J. et. al. (2018a) A Day in the Digital Lives of Children
aged 0-3. Summary report by DigiLitEY COST Action IS1410 Working Group 1
“Digital
literacy
in
homes
and
communities.”
Available
at:
http://digilitey.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DigiLitEY-A-Day-in-the-Digital-Lives-F
INAL.pdf
2) A full report: Gillen, J. et al. (2019) A Day in the Digital Lives of Children Aged 0-3.
Full report. DigiLitEY ISCH COST Action 1410 Working Group 1: Digital Literacy in
Homes
and
Communities.
ISBN:
978-0-902831-53-7.
Available
at:
http://digilitey.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/0-to-3s-FINAL-Report-v3.pdf
The findings of this study have also informed a policy brief (Gillen et al., 2018b). Further
publications will develop analyses and theoretical considerations. We also anticipate that
in the future further studies will be undertaken, indeed in Finland one further case study is
already underway.
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Research Questions
The aim of this project is to answer the following questions:
1. How does technology inform the daily lives of children aged from birth to three?
2. What digital literacy skills and competences do children in this age group develop as
they engage with technologies?
3. How do parents or carers mediate young children’s use of technologies?
4. What are parents’ or carers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards the current and
potential future use of technologies by their young children?
The structure of the report
We first share the methodology of the project as a whole. Then, we report on the two
cases from Spain, following a common report guideline drawn up for the project: 1) a
summary of the process of data collection (recruitment, the first visit, the ‘day’, and the
final interview); and 2) responses to the research questions. In appendices, additionally,
we include the summary or transcription of the interviews with the parents and the
inventories of digital devices and activities by the two focal children.
Methodology
The researchers visited 13 families from six European countries (England, Spain, Israel,
Finland, Sweden and Portugal), with the focus on one child in each family (see details of
the participants in Gillen et al. 2019). In case of Spain, the focal children were two girls:
Roser, aged 19 months from Catalunya and Gloria, aged 21 months from Madrid. Both of
the families were already known to the researchers personally. Both families were
enthusiastic about contributing to the research, while recognising that participation
involved a substantial commitment.
The researchers used the ‘Day in the Life’ (DITL) methodological approach (Gillen et al.,
2007; Gillen & Cameron, 2010) - using a combination of interviews, field notes and video
recordings to collect data - with the focus being on one day in the life of the child and their
family. Ethical considerations are integrated into every stage of the research; at the same
time formal ethical approvals have been sought for the project locally according to the
regime, for example as regards institutional or regional requirements. In case of Spain, we
had obtained ethical approval from Research Ethics Committee of the Universidad
Autónoma de Madrid.
Video-recording a full day of a child’s activities helps build a holistic understanding of
young children’s engagement with digital media and parents’ mediation strategies. It also
allows a multiplicity of lines of analysis, including discrete and even new areas for
investigation that are not possible to be anticipated in advance. A combination of different
methods such as video recording and subsequent interviews can be revelatory as to
tensions, for example in this project how one family stressed their resistance to
technologies at the same time as video recording revealed their embedded nature in family
life.
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In this study, researchers carried out a preliminary discussion with the parents (either in
person or by telephone) followed by three visits to the family which took place in late 2017/
early 2018:
1. During a familiarisation and pilot visit the research team meets the family, fully
explains the project and gains initial consent for the research, while stressing that
this will be an ongoing process. The researcher also gathers basic demographic,
health and lifestyle information working with a common interview schedule and also
pilots videoing of the child’s activity for about half an hour.
2. During the main ‘Day in the Life’ the child’s activities are recorded for a minimum of
six hours in total, turning the video off during periods of sleep, bathroom activities
and whenever the family wish. Almost all the time, two researchers were involved in
this process, one researcher video recording the activities while another took field
notes.
3. A few weeks later the lead researcher returns in the ‘Iterative Stage’ review and
discusses the recordings with the parents. The researchers have compiled extracts
from the day, totalling around half an hour in length. They discuss this data with the
family, while (audio) recording this discussion. The purpose is to review and discuss
the clips (thereby including the parents in the initial analysis process) as well as to
ascertain their attitudes to technology and thoughts and concerns about their
children’s usage of it. As instruments for this final interview, two materials were
used:
○ About a half hour compilation video of clips where the focal child is in some
relation to digital technology, selected and compiled by the researchers who
conducted the visit.
○ Interview prompts to help cover the common issues related to the parents’
attitudes to technology if they have not emerged during the discussion of the
compilation video.
In addition to these, we all completed a survey regarding the technological devices owned
by the family, devices and applications accessed by the child, and the competences
demonstrated by the child. The researchers completed this during the various stages of
the research.
To help the comparative analysis among cases, a common report was drawn up and
completed by each research team - according to which this national report is structured as
mentioned above (see the section above ‘Structure of the Report’). The lead researchers
from each country also met physically in Lisbon in February 2018 to share analyses and
since then various team members have met, face to face and remotely, in various
combinations to discuss results, analyse, present conference papers (e.g. Sandberg &
Jorge, 2018) and develop writing.
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Catalunya family
Section 1: Essential Information
Name of case
Researchers
Cristina Aliagas
Mitsuko Matsumoto
Location (Country; region)
Spain - Catalunya
Family (pseudonym)
Vavi
Name of the child (pseudonym)
Roser (19 months’ old on the day of
filming)
Visit 1 date
10 November 2017
Visit 2 date
15 November 2017
Visit 3 date
17 November 2017
Process Summary
Recruitment of the family was initiated by Cristina. Having known the family in Madrid uses
little technology for the child, the Spanish team discussed and agreed on finding a family in
Catalunya that uses comparably much more technology. The parents are acquaintances of
Cristina and she approached them because they had a small conversation about Roser’s
fondness for the iPad and mobiles phones. During the first interview, the Father mentioned
that period that had been the focus of that initial conversation: “she had a period when
every [object] that looked like a phone, she putted it on the ear. Now she has loosen the
interest towards mobiles. I guess she don’t understand, but at the beginning with the
finger” (va passar una època que tot el que s’assemblés a un telèfon, a l’orella com si fos
un telèfon. Ara ha perdut l’interès amb els mòbils. Imagino que perquè no s’aclara, però al
principi amb el dit - 26:00).
After listening to the research proposal, the father quickly agreed to participate in the
study. He said that he was happy to help with the research. He added that he had been
the focal child in a doctoral research on language development that was conducted by
someone in his family long time ago and that for this he liked her daughter to have a
similar experience. However, the mother needed more explanations about the aim of the
study and the research protocols since she was worried with the involvement of video
data. Cristina explained carefully all the details and she accepted to participate. The
parents are from a suburb city of Barcelona where they live now. The mother works as a
lawyer, and the father is an electrician working in maintenance (at the time of our
fieldwork, he was taking a paternity leave for the birth of the younger child who was 4
months at the time of the fieldwork). Roser is 19 months’ old at the time of filming. She has
a varied vocabulary and communicates with words and gestures. She does not go to a
nursery school. When both parents work, she stays with her grandparents during the day;
and recently also with her newborn brother.
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The first visit was done by Cristina alone and lasted about one hour and half, including 30
minutes of filming. Project information was shared and discussed, and consent forms
signed in duplicate by the father. Cristina explained that only four researchers from Spain
have access to the raw data, and when shared more broadly, the identification of the child
and the family would be obscured. The visit went very well. Roser was not at all anxious by
the visitor in her home and she did “her life”, playing in the living room, during the
conversation. During the pilot, she was very interested on the video camera, and the
researcher let her explore it. We had already agreed that the main day of filming would be
a couple of days after, since Mitsuko came from Madrid for the fieldwork to happen.
On the main day we arrived at 10:30am and started filming at 10:50am. We stayed in the
living room almost all day, but we also followed their walk to a pharmacy (stopping at the
park in front of their house and also by her grandparents’ flat to drop off an amazon
package). Almost all day Mitsuko filmed (although when it was possible she set the
camera up on a tripod) and Cristina took field notes, occasionally taking photos and filming
videos from a different angle. At around 1:15pm Roser slept and stopped recording but
Cristina stayed in the flat and chatted with the father. Around 3:30pm we resumed
videoing, but we stopped at 4:50pm and had to leave because they got a medical
appointment for Roser’s younger brother who was sick. So at the end we only got 4 hours
of recording only.
After filming, Cristina and Mitsuko discussed what to include in the compilation video.
Having agreed on, Mitsuko made the clips and shared with Cristina. Cristina and Mitsuko
visited their house for the iterative stage discussion two days after the main day. At first
only the father was present for the discussion (and in the house), but the last part was
joined by the mother (with the presence of the two children). As well as covering the
themes suggested by the project, we also asked questions about what happened after we
left on the main day, to have a fuller picture of Roser’s day. We video-recorded the
discussion as well as an audio-recording. We have summed up the discussion and key
quotes have been transcribed to support the summary.
We feel the overall process went very well. The family and the children were very
supportive to the project and recording, and we feel we were able to generate very rich
data although unfortunately we could not have a 6-hour recording. We had suggested
them to film a couple of hours at night but they could not do it. Cristina tried to meet them
again in three more occasions, but unsuccessfully. We understand the complex situation
of the family, with a baby and a toddler, and we fully thank them for their effort and
involvement in the study.
Section 2: Responses to Research Questions
RQ1: How does technology inform the daily lives of children aged from birth to 3?
Roser is surrounded by technology all day long, above all in the compact-sized living room
where she stays much of the time when she is at home. In the living room, there is a large
TV, and a Tablet with keyboard is on the lower table where Roser has breakfast, lunch and
dinner. When we were in the house, TV was on almost all day and the Tablet was
available. The father’s phone rang or sounded several times along the day and engaged in
quite a few phone conversations.
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Image 1: Roser having breakfast watching a cartoon on the Tablet
● When we arrived at the family house Roser was having breakfast, watching a
cartoon in Catalan called “Mic”, that is an orange character with long legs (she also
had that cuddly toy in her cot).
● When we came back from a walk, the father put Roser on a high chair to feed her
lunch, and again put the same cartoon on.
● While Roser had afternoon snack and played in the living room - after her nap in the
afternoon -, the TV was on in the background, although the program was not for
her.
● At one point when they were playing, Roser asked her father to take a selfie, saying
‘photo, photo’ and the three of them, - Father, Roser and her younger brother - took
a selfie (see Image 2 below).
Image 2: Taking a selfie upon Roser’s request
Other activities she was engaged during the day was:
● Roser went for a walk with Father, stopping at a play park for Roser to play. They
went to a pharmacy and also stopped by briefly at her grandparents’ place to drop
off a package from Amazon.
● While Father was preparing her lunch in the kitchen, Roser was standing on a stool
in the kitchen, playing to prepare a pumpkin purée.
● Roser played with other toys in the living room, such as cubes and some electronic
toys.
● When Mother came back from work, Roser sat on the table, talking with Mother and
eating a bit of food that Mother was eating.
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Regarding the activity of watching cartoons, we observed Roser watching all the
advertisements with interest.
RQ2: What digital literacy skills and competences to children this age group
develop as they engage with technologies?
Roser knows that on the tablet she can watch her favourite cartoons. She knows where
the tablet is kept (usually in a lower shelf under the TV or in the lower living room table)
and takes it out when she feels like watching a cartoon. In terms of her actual ability and
knowledge regarding the operation of the device, she can close it by taking down the
screen, but, on the other hand, she cannot open it. She usually closes the tablet herself, in
an exasperated gesture, as a way to express that she does not like something she is
watching.
F: "There is a chapter [of the Mic cartoons] where there is one that comes out with a
salt-cellar and the sea. She cannot even see it. She closes [the tablet], as she
knows that it folds ... like “pum” (the sound of closing a tablet). She turns it off. She
cannot open. When she wants us to put it on she brings the Tablet to us."
F: “Hay un capítulo [de los dibujos Mic] donde hay uno que sale con un salero y
sala el mar. No lo puede ni ver. La cierra [la tablet], como ya sabe que se plega…
es pum. La apaga. Abrir no. Cuando quiere que se la pongamos coge la Tablet y
nos la trae”.
Roser tries to touch the keyboard of the Tablet but the parents do not let her. Moreover,
she did notice that the screen is interactive and she has tried to press the "play", as her
parents do when they put cartoons for her. She also tried to press the “skip” button for
avoiding the advertisements.
F: "sometimes she tries to touch the keyboard, but we try to say no, do not touch it
... The screen itself is yes she touches it, because she already knows that we press
the ‘play’ and she does sometimes try to give it a go but I do not think she knows
why she does it."
F: “a veces intenta tocar el teclado, pero le intentamos decir que no, que no lo
toque… La pantalla sí, porque ella ya se fija que le tocamos al play y ella sí que a
veces intenta darle pero no creo que sepa porqué lo hace”
Roser also knows that when an advertisement comes in in the middle of watching a
cartoon, it does end and that the cartoon comes back. So she recognises the
advertisements as short bits of videos embedded in her favourite cartoons and has
learned to tolerate them. Before, she used to get angry but now she has “learned to wait”
for the parents to skip the advertisements for her. The father remembers that a few months
ago she did try to press the square sign to jump the ad. She did it because she saw her
parents doing it.
F: "Before she got angry. When the Mic disappeared she got angry. Now, she
knows that it [the Mic] comes out [again]. Well, she has learned to wait, but it is true
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that before when an advertisement came out on Youtube she used to make a
scene."(00:18)
F: “Antes se enfadaba, a la que desaparecía el Mic se enfadaba. Ahora como sabe
que después sale (otra vez, el Mic), pues ha aprendido a esperarse, pero sí que es
cierto que antes cuando salía un anuncio en el Youtube montaba un pollo” (00:18)
About the mobile phone, when the father’s phone vibrated during the first interview, Roser
brought it to the father immediately. the father thinks that Roser does not understand that
the vibration means a phone call. However, from her behaviour we can infer that she at
least knows that mobile vibration requires an action by the mobile owner. The father said,
“If [the mobile phone] lights up and vibrates, it draws her attention and then she will look,
but I do not think that she interprets that there is a call” (“Si fa llum i vibra, li crida l’atenció i
aleshores mirarà però no crec que per interpretar que hi hagi una trucada”).
In the first interview with the Father, he explains that Roser likes to talk by the phone: “she
has realised that she can talk” (se’n dóna compta que pot parlar).
RQ3: How do parents or carers mediate young children's use of technologies?
Parents consider, as argued by the father, that the girl is too small to interact with digital
applications: “We still see her too small to interact (with technology)” (Aun la vemos
demasiado pequeña para que interactúe). This is reinforced by the personal vision of the
mother, who beliefs that technology dehumanise and separate human beings. Because of
this they have not searched for apps for children to play. They strongly believe that the
game is “on the carpet”.
However, the family actively uses technology in particular situations and with certain
functions. For instance, the tablet is used at home to put cartoons, especially during lunch
and dinner. It is a resource for the girl to be stay still during the meals: "Normally we put
the cartoons when we want her to be a little quiet and stay still." (Father) (“Normalmente le
ponemos los dibujos cuando queremos que se esté un poco quietecita”). Tablet is used at
home but they occasionally use the mobile in a restaurant if necessary. In the context of a
meal or at the grandparents' house they do not put it on if she is entertained in other ways.
Beyond the tablet, parents tolerate ‘light technology’ embedded in toys, like a little house
with electronic noises for each window and door, or a musical die. In the interview we
learned that some of these toys have actually been presents by family members.
Regarding the TV, parents have noted the ‘abduction’ effect that it has on his newborn
baby by seeing him move his head to watch the images on TV. Being aware of these
powerful effects, they put him in a way that his back faces the TV and so he does not
watch TV.
Parents actively promote Roser to interact by phone with family members, or to answer the
intercom. They also promote Roser helping to call the elevator by clicking the button.
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RQ4: What are parents’ or carers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards the current
and potential future use of technologies by their young children?
In this family, the Mother and the Father have different views regarding the use of
technologies by their child and the young children in general. The Father thinks that the
goodness of technology depends on the uses. He says “I think that technology is as good
as it is bad”. He elaborates on this idea arguing that “It is important to know how to use it
and have knowledge to use it in your favour and so that it won’t go against you”. Based on
this idea, he sees the potential that technology has for “studying” and “acquiring
knowledge” but at the same time he sees technology as “an open door to evil”.
F: "I consider technology to be as good as it is bad. And you have to know how to
use it and have some knowledge to use it in your favor and not to play against you.
With your children you have to share the moments and teach them the good and
also teach them that there are very bad things. But I see it very advantageous in
terms of study and knowledge and you have the doors to everything but at the
same time you have the doors open to evil. According to how it is used ".
The Mother defines technology as “horrible”. She thinks is better to postpone the entrance
to the tech-world as much as possible. She also considers that it is important to entrer in
the tech-world “knowing what there is inside”. Building on this idea, she argues that
childhood is a key phase in life when it is important not showing to the children the
easiness of accessing technology: “I think that if from very young you teaches that the
access is easy and then [during the adolescence] you restrict and cut them, it will be more
difficult [to educate them on the uses of technology]”.
M: "horrible, zero. The later you enter this [technological] world, the better. And
when you enter you should know what is there. I think that if you teach [the children]
from when they are small, that access is so easy and such, and then to cut it is
much more difficult if good comes with some ideas that you try to instill (...) it is
better when you have more use of reason and know the pros and cons. If in the
future she wants to do facebook, I will explain the problems that may exist, to put
the window to the public and let everyone know what you do ... "(05:40)
From these differences, the way they mediate the uses of technology by their children also
are different. The Mother thinks that they will need to “control” the online activity while the
Father frames this as an opportunity to learn collaboratively: “I want her to do the same or
to show the same attitudes and competences when is with me or when is alone”.
At the same time, both of them think that Roser is too young for interacting with technology
and that there is always time for everything in life. For that reason, the family has not yet
bought any specific hardware or software for Roser. They also consider that there are
“principles of knowledge” that should be assumed before introducing technology. For
instance, handwriting or maths.
F: "Technology, I think, is good but it is counterproductive if you lose many
principles of knowledge that are necessary before arriving [to it] ..."
They argue that “technology must be complementary to a basis” and that “the basis is
know who to write, know how to read a book, the pleasure of taking a book and turning the
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pages…”. On this regard, their concerns point at the school. They think that the academic
system in Spain is not achieving to balance technology with the basis of knowledge. They
agree with the projects for integrating technology in classroom learning but “after learning
to write by hand”.
They also have some concerns and fears regarding technology.
1) Commented by the Mother, is the dehumanization that technology entails. She
complains about the social practice of buying online, as this involves not interacting with
anybody. Her fear is that machines might reduce the social interaction between human
beings.
M: Dehumanize, the technological world. The fact of how to treat people. We
purchase online. Where has it been seen to go to the market and not to give the
turn? Good morning and such. We are dehumanizing. And people on the street with
helmets. All this is what we get is really that we do not mix with each other. (...)
Everything is with a machine. (08:00)
2) Another shared concern that they anticipate is the arrival of social networks to their
children. The Father argues that they will both need to carefully think about security and
privacy issues in order to educate their children.
F: "At the moment there are no worries. They will come when they [the children] go
to school and start with social networks. (...) Each time they start earlier, maybe
with seven years already they start asking. It is not a worry or a fear. When it arrives
it will arrive ".
F: "I think I can speak for (the mother) too, that we will have to encourage us in
looking at security and privacy issues of social networks."
3) Children will learn quicker than the adults, which positions the adults in a critical
situation, in the sense that the adults might struggle understanding applications or traits of
the digital culture or even helping the new generations to become critical users of
technology.
F: They will be faster than us in many things and I will have to catch up to the level
(...) When I saw her one day with a mobile phone doing so (touching the screen) I
thought that if I had been given the mobile I would not know how to pass the finger.
I did not have my mobile phone until I was 14 years old. (11:26)
4) the possibility that societies can for some reason abandon technology. For this, he
thinks it is important to learn from the basis, being the basis the activity of learning without
the mediation of technology.
5) The integration of technology in the Catalan/Spanish society. The father says that “there
are some countries in Europe that besides English they also requires children to learn
coding”. He thinks that Catalonia/Spain is behind in both needs.
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Madrid Family
Section 1: Essential Information
Name of case: ‘Gloria’ - Madrid (Spain)
Researchers (mark lead and RA if applicable)
David Poveda; Mitsuko Matsumoto
Location (Country; region)
Spain, Madrid
Family (pseudonym)
Rivas
Name of the child (pseudonym)
Gloria (21 months old on the day of
filming)
Visit 1 date
29 November 2017
Visit 2 date
2 December 2017
Visit 3 date
11 December 2017
Process Summary
Recruitment of the family was initiated by Mitsuko. The family and Mitsuko live in the same
residential area. The family told the researcher that they are willing to take part if it is for
research as the mother works for a company that provides data resources to universities
around the world and felt it was her obligation to support research, as well as telling us that
they get on well with Mitsuko and her family. The parents have been living in the same
residential area for 10 years, and the mother, an Italian, works full-time, while the father, a
Spaniard, takes care of the child. Gloria was 21 months’ old at the time of filming. She
talks well with a varied vocabulary, considering her age. She goes to a nursery school for
three hours a day in the morning (9am - 12pm).
Mitsuko conducted the first visit. All the family members were present and the visit lasted
about an hour, including 30 minutes of filming. Project information was shared and
discussed, and consent forms signed in duplicate by the father. Mitsuko explained that
only four researchers from Spain have access to the raw data, and when the data is
shared more broadly, the identification of the child and the family would be obscured. The
visit went very well. Gloria was not at all disturbed by having a visitor. At first, she was
keen to interact with the researcher, but soon she started to play on her own, and even
when the filming started she did not pay too much attention to the camera and continued
doing what she was doing. We had already discussed and agreed on the main day over
online communication, which was four days after the first visit.
On the main day, we arrived around 10:20 am and started videoing around 10:30h. Our
filming was held mainly in the living room and in the kitchen, but we also followed two
walks that Gloria had (in the morning to an ecological grocery shop and in the afternoon a
family walk). Most of the day Mitsuko filmed (although when it was possible she set the
camera up on a tripod) and David observed, occasionally taking photos and filming videos
from a different angle. When the family started lunch (around 2:10pm), we left their flat,
and we went back around 5pm when they were about to wake up Gloria from a nap. We
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stayed with the family until 7:10pm when Gloria started to play again after making a pastry
with her mother.
David and Mitsuko discussed which clips to include in the compilation videos. Mitsuko
edited the clips and shared with David first. As they became quite a number of them David
selected 8 clips among them. We had the iterative stage discussion at Mitsuko’s house as
the family lives with a dog and David had strong allergic reactions after all-day filming. As
planned, we filmed and audio- recorded the whole interview.
We are very happy with the process of data collection. The family was very collaborative,
including Gloria, and we feel we were able to generate very rich data, which in the coming
months we hope to analyse from different angles.
Section 2: Responses to Research Questions
RQ1: How does technology inform the daily lives of children aged from birth to 3?
The main and only way that Gloria directly engages with digital technology that we have
observed is watching cartoons and music videos on TV or on a laptop. She did so in three
occasions while we observed her activities.
● Breakfast
When we arrived on the day of observation, Gloria was sitting on a high chair, watching a
music video on Youtube (in the ISD the mother told us she was watching ‘Opera
Imaginaria’). The father told us in the ISD that Gloria has her breakfast, - which is a bottle
of formulated milk -, very slowly. Therefore, they put on a cartoon or music video she likes
and she takes breakfast, normally taking 30 minutes. They told us this is also a routine that
is maintained during the week when she goes to a nursery.
→ After 30m or so, she said she wants to go down, saying “bajo” and started to play other
non- digital toys.
● Snack time
She was not in a good mood after waking up from a nap (she was given a natural yogurt,
but it was too sour for her and she started to cry). The father put on a cartoon (Mickey
Mouse old cartoon) and later on a music video that she likes. About this in an interview,
the father said putting a cartoon or music video she likes helps calm her down, but it does
not help her eat, if she does not want to eat.
● Shaun the Sheep
When we were there for the pilot filming on a weekday evening, Gloria asked the parents
to put Shaun the Sheep DVD on TV. She watched one episode and requested another to
put on, but before the second one finished she got bored and she started to play with other
things, also prompted by her father.
Gloria’s parents confirm that she does not engage with digital technologies at her nursery
school. In other family members’ house, at her grandfather’s house, she sometimes
watches some cartoons, but not too long as the grandfather does not stand it too long.
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Image 3: Gloria and mother watching Shaun the Sheep upon Gloria’s request
Other activities she has done on the ‘day’ were:
●
●
●
●
going for a shopping in an ecological shop with her mother
cooking lunch and dinner, and making pastry with her mother
going for a family walk in the afternoon
playing with other toys, such as puzzles, drawing, reading books with her mother.
Gloria's main play area at home, based on our observations, is the living room. There is a
full section of the living room devoted to her toys, mostly wooden puzzles, books and
figures with a carpet and a comfortable play area. The living room has a large color
tube-TV that is not connected to the antenna and is only used to watch DVDs. There is an
old PC computer (without internet connection) and a hi-fi analogic music set. As shown in
Image 1, the lap-top is also in the living room and is the only digital device Gloria used in
the home.
Although Gloria’s activity directly engaging with digital technologies are limited with these,
her parents were engaging with technologies much time of the day around her.
● Her mother and father using laptop and having conversation about the contents on
the screen of the laptop.
● Her mother has her mobile phone around, even leaving it on the table while she
read books to Gloria (see Image 1 below):
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Image 4: Gloria reading a book with her mother
RQ2: What digital literacy skills and competences to children this age group
develop as they engage with technologies?
In Gloria’s case, based on what we observed and parent's discussion during the first visit
and ISD, she has "limited" direct contact with digital technologies in the home. The only
device she uses is the laptop computer, which is exclusively used to watch videos / movies
(mainly from Youtube). She also knows that DVD movies have to be inserted in the DVD
player and will make indications about this when she wants to watch a movie.
However, her parents do make use of other digital technologies, such as the lap-top
computer, a smartphone (only one, owned by the mother) and an e-reader. The family
does not own a tablet device. Gloria observes many of these uses and some of them are
directly targeted towards her. For example, during the recording of the full day we left the
camera with the family so they could record themselves over lunch. At one point during the
meal, Gloria started to drop food to the ground intentionally and the father took the
smartphone and said he was going to record if she did so again to send the recording to
her teacher.
We would argue that, even in apparently "low-tech" families as this one (see below) quite a
number of competencies might be developing through observation and broader
participation in out-of-family contexts. In terms of research, this is something we would like
to explore: how children learn about technology through observation and apparent little
direct engagement - as this is something that requires detailed examination of
observations and might not be often/easily verbalized in interviews with parents.
The parents also have a vision of technology as something that is easy to use and learn to
be used (is "designed for dummies") so they are not concerned that Gloria will have
difficulties learning to use technology or is at a disadvantage because of her limited
exposure to digital technologies at this age. The mother said that if her 70-year old father
can use technology without difficulty, learned how to use Whatsapp and the tablet quickly
Gloria will too. If she has curiosity and a willingness to learn, which they try to instill in her,
she will learn without difficulty. In fact, they think that at this point it is more important to
engage in other activities. For example, Gloria's father paints a lot and Gloria likes to paint
too and, in her mother’s terms, the "coordination skills and connections between brain and
hands that develop through this are much more important."
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RQ3: How do parents or carers mediate young children's use of technologies?
● The parents are careful not to bring in unnecessary digital devices to the home.
The mother told explicitly her siblings not to buy a technological gift for Gloria. They
themselves do not possess many digital devices, they only possess a mobile (the
mother’s, the father does not have one), a TV in the living room that is not
connected to the antenna, a laptop, an old desktop, and a Kindle. Although the
mother used to work as a technician related to electronic devices, they just try
buying technological devices that they think are necessary (the mother made a
comment saying that they are like electrical household appliance). More broadly
they are against consumerism.
● They mediate in a warm, caring style (when she wanted to watch a cartoon ‘Shaun
the Sheep’ the mother and the child negotiated how many episodes they would
watch. When the child was too close to TV, the mother warmly invites the child to sit
with her and watch).
● Also, the way Gloria watches video in the laptop: with the lap-top placed on the
table and her strapped in a high-chair, allows parents to engage in other activities
while Gloria is relatively safe and engaged.
● The child herself mediates her use of technology. After around 30m of watching she
would tell her parents "Abajo" letting them know that she wants to come down from
the high chair and play with other things. and for the cartoon on the TV, she got
bored of watching in the middle of the second episode, and started to look for other
things to entertain herself.
RQ4: What are parents’ or carers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards the current
and potential future use of technologies by their young children?
● They are not against the use of technologies by the young children per se. They do
not have any restriction by age or so. If it is something useful for the life of the
child, they do not have problem, but just for the sake of consumption, they are
against it.
● The parents present themselves as relatively "low-tech" and basically interested in
other activities (outdoors, cooking, playing other games, etc.). For example, they
explained in the interview that for them it is much more important to invest their
money in good quality sound and hi-fi equipment than on the latest digital devices.
As the explain (see Appendix
3) they only own one smartphone and have a relatively old lap-top and even older PC
computer (and no tablet devices). However, this does not mean they are technologically
"illiterate" or have an aversion to digital technologies. Professionally, the mother works for
a company that provides digital information services to universities and research
institutions (the mother describes herself as an "advanced user") and the father's training
and previous employment was in fine arts and teaching, where he used various graphic
design software. They also have a high-speed internet connection in the home which they
maintain and can handle without difficulty. Also, the mother explained how he has
used/uses social media in her parenting:
"there is a breast-feeding group that started from the local clinic and it might seem like a
stupid example but we have supported each other a lot, for example, if at three in the
morning you are awake in the middle of breastfeeding crisis you go to Facebook to get
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advice from other moms who are also awake at three in the morning with the same shit
going on"
When we asked about how they might approach the use of technology in the future, given
their preferences for non-digital activities at the moment, the parents explained that maybe
"after she is 5", when she starts asking for it, they start to use it at school or someone
recommends she starts using some digital technology because it has educational value.
Also, given their position towards consumerism and that the mother's family is described
as very consumerist and tech- savvy, they expect that Gloria's first tablet device will be a
hand-me-down from her extended family.
When asked about future schooling (to explore if how schools use technology will be a
factor in their selection), they explain that this is not relevant at all and are much more
interested in the fact that local public schools in the area are good with collaborative
projects and have a good history of family involvement in schools - the locality is well
known for this educational tradition and they looked for a home there for this reason.
They also talk about Gloria becoming a critical user of digital technologies, to be able to
read critically the information she might get through internet or Google, how digital
technologies control our lives and the consequences of social media. In this discussion,
the father draws examples from his experience in how his teenage students used social
media and how little aware they are of the risk involved in sharing information or of the
non-legal nature of many of their actions.
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References
Byrne, J., Kardefelt-Wither, D., Livingstone, S., & Stoilova, M. (2016). Global Kids Online
research synthesis, 2015–2016
Chaudron, S. (2015). Young children (0-8) and digital technology: a qualitative exploratory
study across seven countries. Luxembourg. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/jrc
Chaudron, S., Di Gioia, R., & Gemo, M. (2018). Young children (0-8) and digital
technology
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https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/
eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/young-children-0-8-and-digital-technologyqualitative-study-across-europe
Gillen, J. et. al. (2018a) A Day in the Digital Lives of Children aged 0-3. Summary report by
DigiLitEY COST Action IS1410 Working Group 1 “Digital literacy in homes and
communities.”
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pdf
Gillen, J., Arnott, L., Marsh, J., Bus, A., Castro, T., Dardanou, M., ... Tafa, E. (2018b).
Digital Literacy and young children: towards better understandings of the benefits and
challenges of digital technologies in homes and early years settings. A Policy Brief.
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Gillen, J. Matsumoto, M., Aliagas, C., Bar-lev, Y., Clark, A., Flewitt, R.S., Jorge, A.,
Kumpulainen, K., Marsh, J., Morgada, M., Pacheco, R., Poveda, D., Sairanen, H.,
Sandberg, H., Scott, F., Sjöberg, U., Sundin, E., Tigane, I., & Tomé, V. (2019) A Day in the
Digital Lives of Children Aged 0-3. Full report. DigiLitEY ISCH COST Action 1410 Working
Group 1: Digital Literacy in Homes and Communities. Retrieved from:
http://digilitey.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/0-to-3s-FINAL-Report-v3.pdf
Gillen, J., & Cameron, C. A. (2010). International perspectives on early childhood
research: A day in the Life. International Perspectives on Early Childhood Research: A
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UK:
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http://doi.org/10.1057/9780230251373
Gillen, J., Cameron, C. A., Tapanya, S., Pinto, G., Hancock, R., Young, S., & Gamannossi,
B. A. (2007). ‘A day in the life’: advancing a methodology for the cultural study of
development and learning in early childhood. Early Child Development and Care, 177(2),
207–218. http://doi.org/10.1080/03004430500393763
Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., Görzig, A., & Ólafsson, K. (2011). EU kids online: final report.
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Marsh, J., Plowman, L., Yamada-Rice, D., Bishop, J., Lahmar, J., Scott, F., ... Winter, P.
(2015). Exploring Play and Creativity in Pre-Schoolers’ Use of Apps: Final Project Report.
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netchildrengomobile.eu/reports/
Ólafsson, K., Livingstone, S., & Haddon, L. (2013). Children’s use of online technologies in
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Sefton-Green, J., Marsh, J., Erstad, O., & Flewitt, R. (2016). Establishing a Research
Agenda for the Digital Literacy Practices of Young Children A White Paper for COST
Action IS1410. Retrieved from http://digilitey.eu/
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Appendices
Appendix 1-A: Contextual information about Roser's family.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
General makeup of the family i.e. numbers of parents, children and anyone else living with
the family.:Father, Mother and the focal child (19m), a younger brother (4 months).
Age of parents/carers. Father (34), Mother (39).
Employment information for each parent or carer: Father: Electrician working in
maintenance (at the time of our fieldwork, he was taking a paternity leave for the
birth of the younger child). Mother: Lawyer
Highest educational attainment of each parent/ carer: Mother: Bachelor degree in law.
Father: Technical degree in electric installations (Técnico superior en instalaciones
electricas de baja tensión).
Estimated annual income of the family, including any government benefits. (This may be
omitted if felt to be culturally insensitive)
Ethnic background/family history of the family: Catalan.
Languages spoken in the family: Catalan
Date of birth for each of the children in the family: 22 April, 2016
For the focal child (aged 0-3) – information about health and development to date: she
does not go to a nursery school.
Historical background of the family i.e. how long they have been living in the home,
previous location and so on. 4 years living in the flat, the mother had bought the flat
before they met, and after they started to be together, he moved into the flat.
The home was the main context for the “day” (see Figure 1) but the father decided to go to the
pharmacy because the son was ill and make the best of the outing to approach the grandfather’s
house and give an amazon packing. When the father went out, with Roser and his brother in the
pushchair, Roser saw the playing area in the plaza in front of their house and stopped there for
about 30 minutes. At the end of the day, a short outing to the pharmacy took more than an hour.
Adraw of Roser’s house is provided (just the first floor as the researchers did not go upstairs)
(Figure 1). A sketch of the outside spaces that were accessed by the child during the “day” is also
provided (Figure 2).
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Figure 1. Sketch of the first floor of the house
Figure 2. Plan of the outside spaces accessed
during the day of the observation
Appendix 1-B: Summary of the responses to the prompt questions in the iterative interview
1. How confident would you say you are yourself in the everyday use of technology?
The Father feels that he does not know enough about technology. He would like to master
technology in order to avoid feeling “vulnerable” online. He links the feeling of vulnerability with
social networks. He has a Facebook and an Instagram account but he laments that he “is in the
darkness of the affordances” that on these social networks he feels that he could be “hurt from all
sides” (“me podrían fastidiar por donde quieran”). He would like to have “more time and dedication”
for changing this situation.
J: “Me gustaría saber mucho más de lo que sé, por ejemplo en redes sociales” (02:02)
“Tengo Facebook y Instagram pero desconozco todas las posibilidades. Podríamos decir
que mis perfiles en las redes sociales son totalmente vulnerables porque me podrían
fastidiar por donde quieran”. Le falta tiempo y dedicación.
F: "I would like to know much more than I know, for example in social networks" (02:02) "I
have Facebook and Instagram but I do not know all the possibilities. We could say that my
profiles on social networks are totally vulnerable because I could be hurt from all sides. I am
short of time and dedication.”
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Considering his feeling of online vulnerability and the fact that the mother does not have any
account in social networks, the father thinks that “we will need to encourage us to [update] on
security and privacy issues in social networks”
F: “creo que puedo hablar por (la madre) también, que nos tendremos que poner un poco
las pilas en temas de seguridad y privacidad de las redes sociales”.
F: "I think I can speak for (the mother) too, that we will need to encourage us on security
and privacy issues in social networks."
2. Is your use of technology in the home influenced at all by external factors, such as
work?
At home, they try to focus on the needs of their children and to play with Roser without technology
or with a little input of technology. However, they use technology (mainly their phones and a laptop)
when they are at home. In the case of the father, the uses of technology that are related to the job
are phone calls. He receives calls from co-workers and talk about particular tasks to do. Since he
was a self-employed worker until a couple of year ago, he also receives calls or text messages
asking for “small jobs” to do. The calls he receives at home can be directly related to job issues,
family organization or leisure. In the mother’s case, when she is using the laptop at home she is
typically working, answering emails or preparing official documents. As she is a lawyer, she
receives calls from her clients any day at any time, but she chooses to take it or not.
The Father considers that they (father/mother) have different attitudes towards calls and WhatsApp
messages. While he responds immediately even for saying “I can’t speak now. I will call you later”,
the mother prefers to leave the phone on the vibration mode and let the phone ring if the call
comes in not at a good moment.
3. What technological hardware or software have you purchased for the focal child, and
why?
The family has not yet bought any specific hardware or software for Roser. The main device they
use for her is a Tablet with an attached keyboard that they already had. They argue that Roser is
too young for interacting with technology and that there is always time for everything in life. They
have not sought information about specific tech-products for children. Because of all these
reasons, they have not been interested in putting her to the scene “meterla en el mundillo”. They
are conscious that having technological hardware/software is the first step to enter in the tech
world.
F: Todavía no hemos comprado nada para ella [de tecnología]
C: ¿Por alguna razón? ¿por qué?
F: Seguro que hay algo específico para ella pero todavía no hemos tenido interés en
meterla en el mundillo
(04:46)
F: We still have not bought anything [of technology]for her.
C: For some reason? why?
F: Surely there is something specific for her but we have not had an interest in putting her
to the scene yet.
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4. What are your views on young children's use of technology in general?
The Father thinks that the goodness of technology depends on the uses. He says “I think that
technology is as good as it is bad”. He elaborates on this idea arguing that “It is important to know
how to use it and have knowledge to use it in favour and so that it won’t go against you”. Based on
this idea, he sees the potential that technology has for “studying” and “acquiring knowledge” but at
the same time he sees technology as “an open door to evil” ("las puertas abiertas al mal").
F: “Yo considero que la tecnología es tan buena como mala. Y que hay que saber usarla y
tener unos conocimientos para usarla a favo y que no te juegue en contra. Con los hijos
hay que compartir los momentos y enseñarles lo bueno y también enseñarles que hay
cosas muy malas. Pero la veo muy ventajosa para el tema del estudio y el conocimiento y
tienes las puertas a todo pero al mismo tiempo tienes las puertas abiertas al mal. Según
cómo sea utilizada”.
F: "I consider technology to be as good as it is bad. And you have to know how to use it
and have some knowledge to use it in favor and not to play against you. With your children
you have to share the moments and teach them the good and also teach them that there
are very bad things. But I see it very advantageous in terms of study and knowledge and
you have the doors to everything but at the same time you have the doors open to evil.
According to how it is used ".
The Mother defines technology as “horrible”. She thinks is better to postpone the entrance to the
tech-world as much as possible. She also considers that it is important to entrer in the tech-world
“knowing what there is inside”. Building on this idea, she argues that childhood is a key phase in
life when it is important not to show to the children the easiness of accessing technology: “I think
that if from very young you teaches that the access is easy and then [during the adolescence] you
restrict and cut them, it will be more difficult [to educate them on the uses of technology]”.
M: “horrible, zero. Cuando más tarde entren en este mundo, mejor. Y que cuando entre
sepa lo que hay. Creo que si de pequeños les enseñas que el acceso es tan fácil y tal, y
luego coartarles y cortar es mucho más difícil si ya de buenas viene con unas ideas que le
intentas inculcar (...) es mejor cuando tenga más uso de razón y que sepa los pros y
contras. Si el día de mañana se quiere hacer facebook, le voy a explicar los problemas que
puede haber, de poner la ventana pública y que todo el mundo sepa lo que hace...”(05:40)
M: "horrible, zero. The later you enter this [technological] world, the better. And when you
enter you should know what is there. I think that if you teach [the children] from when they
are small, that access is so easy and such, and then to cut it is much more difficult if from
the beginning they come with some ideas that you try to instill (...) it is better when you have
more use of reason and know the pros and cons. If in the future she wants to do facebook, I
will explain the problems that may exist, to put the window to the public and let everyone
know what you do ... "(05:40)
Both parents consider that there are “knowledge principles” that should be assumed before
introducing technology. For instance, handwriting or maths.
F: “La tecnología yo pienso que es buena pero es contraproducente si se pierden muchos
principios de conocimiento que son necesarios antes de llegar…”
F: "Technology, I think, is good but it is counterproductive if you lose many principles of
knowledge that are necessary before arriving [to it] ..."
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In the first interview with the Father, he also expressed his fear of very young children
consolidating “bad habits” with technology.
F: Es que també en s fa una mica de por que no ens agafi… vicis, saps? La tablet per
veure el Mic i ja. A mi també em fa por que s’enganxin i es quedin autistes, que es quedin el dia
jugant amb el mòbil. Perquè això tampoc ho desitjariem, la veritat. Prefereixo que agafin un llibre
per a entretenir-se. (27:0).
F: It's also a bit scary for us to think that she can develop bad habits, right? The tablet to
watch the Mic and that’s all. It also scares me that they [their children] can stick and became
autistic, that they stay the day playing with the cell phone. Because we would not want that either,
really. I'd rather prefer if they take a book to entertain themselves.
5. [If there are two parents/ carers] How far do you and your partner agree on the
approach to be used in terms of introducing your child to technologies?
According to the Father, the Mother is comparatively “more radical”. They show this divergence
through an example of how they imagine the moment when their children will claim for accessing
social networks. The Mother thinks that they will need to “control” the online activity while the
Father frames this as an opportunity to learn collaboratively: “I want her to do the same or to show
the same attitudes and competences when she is with me or when she is alone”. The Father
justifies his position arguing that “a paternal negative entails rebellion”. The mother replies with a
counterargument: “if I control and she needs to hack my computer, I will perhaps convert her in
someone very smart!”.
6. What concerns do you have, if any, about your child's use of technology?
The parents agree on the importance of introducing technology after the children have assumed
what they call “knowledge principles”, referring to handwriting and maths. They argue that
“technology must be complementary to a basis” and that “the basis is know who to write, know how
to read a book, the pleasure of taking a book and turning the pages…”. On this regard, their
concerns point at the school. They think that the academic system in Spain is not achieving to
balance technology with the basis of knowledge. They agree with the projects for integrating
technology in classroom learning but “after learning to write by hand”.
F: “Deberían existir unos conocimientos mínimos con las tecnologías.Pienso que en las
escuelas se intenta pero no se consigue. Todo ya es tan moderno que lo normal es tomar
apuntes con una tablet”
F: “Hay que aprender a escribir bien, a mano. Es necesario como sumar, restar y dividir sin
máquina”.
M: “la tecnología tiene que ser un complemento a una base” (...) “La base es saber escribir,
saber leer un libro, el gusto de coger y pasar las páginas, etc.”.
F: "There should be minimal knowledge with the technologies. I think that in schools they
try but they are not getting it. Everything is already so modern that it is normal to take notes
on a Tablet "
F: "You have to learn to write well, by hand. It is necessary to add, subtract and divide
without a machine".
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 27
M: "Technology has to be a complement to a base" (...) "The basis is to know how to write,
how to read a book, how to pick up and turn pages, etc.".
The Mother points out another personal concern: the dehumanization that the technological culture
entails. She complains about the social practice of buying online, as this involves not interacting
with anybody. Her fear is that machines might reduce the social interaction among human beings.
M: Deshumaniza, el mundo tecnológico. El hecho de como tratar a la gente. Hacemos la
compra online. ¿Donde se ha visto de ir al mercado y no dar la vez? El buenos días y tal.
Nos estamos deshumanizando. Y la gente por la calle con los cascos. Todo esto lo que
consigue es realmente que no nos mezclemos entre nosotros. (...) Todo es con una
máquina. (08:00)
M: Dehumanize, the technological world. The fact of how to treat people. We make the
purchase online. Where has it been seen to go to the market and not to give the turn? Good
morning and such. We are dehumanizing. And people on the street with helmets. All this is
what we get is really that we do not mix with each other. (...) Everything is with a machine.
(08:00)
Another shared concern that they anticipate is the arrival of social networks to their children. The
Father argues that they will both need to carefully think about security and privacy issues in order
to educate their children.
F: “De momento no hay preocupaciones. Vendrán cuando vaya a la escuela y empiece con
las redes sociales. (...) cada vez empiezan antes, quizás con siete años ya te empiezen a
pedir. No es una preocupación ni un temor. Cuando llegue llegará”.
F: “creo que puedo hablar por (la madre) también, que nos tendremos que poner un poco
las pilas en temas de seguridad y privacidad de las redes sociales”.
F: "At the moment there are no worries. They will come when they [the children] go to school and
start with social networks. (...) Each time they start earlier, maybe with seven years already they
start asking. It is not a worry or a fear. When it arrives it will arrive ".
F: "I think I can speak for (the mother) too, that we will have to encourage us in looking at security
and privacy issues of social networks."
7. What are your hopes with regard to your child's use of technologies in the future?
Linked to the concern attached to social networks, the Father comments on the importance of
being a “critical user of technology” and “having an opinion of things that occur, considering risks
and opportunities”. He argues that those who nowadays are successful in life are those who “know
how to manage resources, technologies and information”. How to achieve this with his daughter
and son is one of his goals and at the same time one of his concerns.
8. What are your fears with regard to your child's use of technologies in the future?
The main fear that Roser’s parents share are privacy and security in social networks. However,
the Father brought up three other general fears.
The first, was the sensation that children will learn quicker than the adults, that puts the adults in a
critical situation, in the sense that the adults might struggle understanding applications or traits of
the digital culture or even helping the new generations to become critical users of technology.
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 28
F: Ellos irán más rápidos que nosotros en muchas cosas y me tendré que poner al día para
ponerme al nivel (...) Cuando la ví un día con un móvil haciendo así (tocando la pantalla)
pensé que a mi si me hubieran dado el móvil no sabría pasar el dedo. Yo no tuve el móvil
hasta las 14 años. (11:26)
F: They will be faster than us in many things and I will have to catch up to the level (...)
When I saw her one day with a mobile phone doing so (touching the screen) I thought that if
I had been given the mobile I would not know how to pass the finger. I did not have my
mobile phone until I was 14 years old. (11:26)
The second fear is the possibility that societies can for some reason abandon technology. For this,
he thinks it is important to learn from the basis, being the basis the activity of learning without the
mediation of technology.
The third fear is the integration of technology in the Catalan/Spanish society. The father says that
“there are some countries in Europe that besides English they also require children to learn
coding”. He thinks that Catalonia/Spain is behind in both aspects.
9. What kind of advice or guidance would you feel your family would benefit from in
terms of your child's use of technologies?
They were interested in the findings of previous studies. They also were curious about what other
families did. They also wanted what we find out through the study in the European level.
10. Do you have any other comments that could inform the study about your child's use
of technologies?
The best advice that the Mother can think about for another family is “don’t rush, don’t force”.
She argues that children is surrounded by technology and that is why s/he will naturally and
autonomously discover technology. She thinks it is better to progress in technology issues at the
children’s rate.
M: “no corran y el niño ya irá recibiendo en cada etapa de su vida lo que toca. Que no lo
fuercen. El niño ya experimenta. El niño ya coge un teléfono cuando suena y ya va
descubriendo. (...) avanzar al ritmo del niño, que no lo hagan crecer, que crezca él. No
forzaría nada. Total, el niño si será tecnológico o no lo decidirá él. (...) En la vida cotidiana
ya hay tecnología” (18:00)
M: "Do not rush, and the child will be receiving already what it corresponds at each stage of
his or her life. Do not force it. The child already experiments. The child already picks up a
phone when it rings and is already discovering. (...) move forward with the child's rhythm,
do not make it grow, let him or her grow. I would not force anything. Overall, the child will be
technological or not he or she will decide it. (...) In everyday life there is already
technology"(18:00)
Appendix II-A: Contextual information about Gloria’s family
●
●
General make-up of the family i.e. numbers of parents, children and anyone else living with
the family: Father, mother, the focal child and a dog
Age of parents/carers: Father: 41, Mother: 39
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 29
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Employment information for each parent or carer - Father: unemployed (the main carer
for the child), Mother: administrator in a global information-content and technology
company
Highest educational attainment of each parent/ carer. - Father and mother: Bachelor
degree in Fine Arts
Estimated annual income of the family, including any government benefits. (This may be
omitted if felt to be culturally insensitive): 30,000 euros (gross income)
Ethnic background/family history of the family: Father: Spanish, Mother: Italian.
Languages spoken in the family. Mainly Spanish, mother sometimes talks in Italian to
the child.
Date of birth for each of the children in the family: 6 February, 2016.
For the focal child (aged 0-3) – information about health and development to date. No
particular problem. Weight quite average, height a bit higher than the average.
Historical background of the family i.e. how long they have been living in the home,
previous location and so on. They have been living in the flat for 10 years. Before that
each partner was living with their own parents. The rough plan of the areas of the house
and outside spaces that may be accessed by the child during the “day” (Drawn by the
father)
Appendix II-B: Summary of the responses to the prompt questions in the iterative interview
with Gloria’s parents
1. How confident would you say you are yourself in the everyday use of technology?
The father and mother use computer on a daily basis. In addition, the mother uses mobile and
kindle (although since the birth of Gloria she hasn’t used Kindle much). Mother said in the ISD,
“[The father] is a user, and I am a fairly advanced user because I have been a technician etc.”
2. Is your use of technology in the home influenced at all by external factors, such as work?
Mother said “for work (managing on the computer)”, and Father said “for leisure, knowledge and
mental expansion.”
3. What technological hardware or software have you purchased for the focal child, and
why?
They have not bought anything. Mother said, “It is more, I have forbidden my very technological
siblings not to buy Tablet or anything like that ... in fact, there is something that we have very clear:
we encourage very little consumerism. For this Christmas, we told her [my sister] if she was going
to bring something for Gloria, there is something of my niece's toy that we know Gloria would like
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 30
very much, and we told her, recover that toy from the storage room, clean it, put the battery, and
give it to us, we do not want other things.”
4. What are your views on young children's use of technology in general?
Mother: “After all, technology is made "for dummies", I want to tell you that you will learn to use it
when you need it… but I need her [Gloria] to learn to use a pencil because they are not for
dummies… She likes painting… and she will be all day painting if she can. For me that's more
important. It is something to learn over the years, the connection of brain with your hands helps
develop other capabilities.”
-------Mother: “I have worked with the technologists and I am still working. For me, technology is like an
domestic appliance. If it's useful, it's fine, but if not, I do not use it.”
Father: “Look, I sometimes sell things in milanuncios.com (an online platform to sell secondhand
goods). Having the platform on the internet is very good, it opens the world, yes. But for other
things, to know my expulsions or my rhythm… [I don’t use it].
Father: “As I see it, [technology] is a tool. The moment you need something, take it, I have no
problem. but it is not, how do I say, like alcohol, right? You can take it well but drink to drink I do
not see any sense.”
Father: “In the technical drawing class I did my PDFs and sent them so that it was easily printed
and it could be opened in any program... the exercises step by step... the solutions... I sent them
the exam; as they finished the exam, I got into the computer and sent them the exam already
done, so they could see how they should have answered and, to their 'annoyance', the possible
paths to arrive.". Or I sent them what was given in class and enlargement or what I had done on
the board. Yes, I agree [technology] is a clear and valid tool.”
Mother: “We spent more money on the music sound system than on the laptop.”
Father: “Maybe, yes.”
Mother: “Because the quality of sound or the radio that we have should be high ... We think that it
is an important value that we have a great sound quality… However, for the laptop I picked up with
an offer from Carrefour. Well, it’s true, as I have been a technician and so, I chose the brand that I
knew what I had to do, but yes, the laptop was to discontinue ... well nothing, I took it. That’s how it
was. but we have not thought about it.”
Poveda: Later on, how old can Gloria start using technology?
Father: Until 5 or so, I do not know ... according to her request, or necessity, or through the friends
that go before [her using technology] at the nursery or the school .... for example, then yes.
Mother: “There is also an advantage of having very technological brothers, that is, they throw away
a lot of technology very often. So, if ever my daughter will want a tablet [we will inherit from them].
Mother: “…Yes, we are worried about consumerism.”
David: “Is it then about consumerism more than technology that you are worried about?”
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 31
Mother: “Yes. For me for example it is important that Gloria is raised in an environment that is
fine…. Consumption is important in two senses. For us, ecology is important. We are aware of
consequences in the personal level…
Father: “[technology] is a tool. If we have to change a car, we do, but according to our possibilities
and necessities. Well now, it is different I have been and I am without job, but it is something big,
so we choose one that does not consume much…. but we don’t need to buy an iPhone because
we like it better etc.
Mother: “But, we did spend money on Gloria’s carseat… Also I never looked at the money we
spent on Gloria’s books. That I do not worry…
Poveda: Thinking of the future, maybe there will be children who have technology around Gloria?
Father: “That will be. But I also think there are benefits of not having much….It is also something
that happens to you always. But if it becomes necessary or for socialisation or whatever, we will
see, we will talk, but if there is no strict necessity… With Gloria, we do not have a fixed plan, with
the ideas and depends on how things develop.”
5. [If there are two parents/ carers] How far do you and your partner agree on the approach
to be used in terms of introducing your child to technologies?
Mother: Actually, we have always coincided at the end ... We have never discussed technology.
Maybe I've wanted to change the computer before you [Father] because I'm more technological. I
have used more advanced program. [Father] is a user, and I am a fairly advanced user because I
have been a technician etc. So if I like that within the technologies that I have, it is in good use ...
There didn’t have to be much talk [about the use of technology] since Gloria was born because the
vision of technology is very similar ... Social networks have been very useful, when raising Gloria
and know that there is a breast-feeding group that started from the local clinic and it might seem
like a stupid example but we have supported each other a lot, for example, if at three in the
morning you are awake in the middle of breastfeeding crisis you go to Facebook to get advice from
other moms who are also awake at three in the morning with the same shit going on.”
6. What concerns do you have, if any, about your child's use of technology?
Mother: “What I would like is not [for technology] to become something dominant but I want that
she understands like me that it's like a household appliance … it's very good to find information on
a database (that I also work on) but that there are books and that you have to learn the difference
between an alphabetical order and something that gives you an automatic response. And learn to
select information, for me it is important. And that's why printed books are important so that she
learns that the printed book is different from the information found on the internet. And that I would
like that in the future Gloria learns to read information not to accept it joyfully. She would not accept
Google as if it were the bible and this kind of thing. Do not accept Google as something irrevocable
and wise.”
…
Father: “In the technical drawing class I did my PDFs and sent them so that it was easily printed
and it could be opened in any program because the exercises step by step the solutions I sent
them the exam, as I finished the exam, I got into the computer and sent them the exam already
done, so they could see what I had to go out, to the chagrin of them with the possibilities paths for
arrive. Or I sent them what was given in class and enlargement or what I had done on the board.
Yes, I agree [technology] is a clear and valid tool.”
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 32
Mother: “Regarding a digital board if you do not have something behind or not. I found it funny with
a nursery that says we have a digital board and look at me. I am like ‘what you are contributing’. I
mean, with a digital board what you are going to contribute from behind. I do not see any
foundation from behind and maybe it’s more important then the people who are doing digital board
projects with linux and a playstation 3. Maybe it's cheaper and it's not necessary to buy a samsung
and they are doing more interesting thing than what is offering me as a point in your favor for
having something digital that are not being restructured behind and not putting content and not
saying what's going to offer behind it? That worries me more. And there is no digital literacy in the
teachers. We also have an aged teacher generation because there have not been places for
teaching. So the younger interim have to supply what the already consecrated professors with the
fixed and immovable seats. How can I say, a lot of times, it's a pity that in Spain content are not
decided by the publishers. When those people are trained with training they could elaborate
contents for this center, more suited to this geographical area for those kids etc.”
Father: but if they change you every year, every ten months, what a person will do, they cannot do
anything. At least, they should be [there teaching] 4 years in one place.”
Mother: “We cannot depend on Santillana publishing company in Spain to have contents. Besides
what the publishers have done on the digital level, for example, is to move a webpage the contents
that they have been on print. It has very little dynamic content.”
7. What are your hopes with regard to your child's use of technologies in the future?
Mother: “See if for me to learn to use it so naturally, I don’t think that for Gloria it will be difficult,
and I have seen my father with 78 years using WhatsApp and a tablet easily, I do not see why
Gloria does not have capacity [to learn to use].
Father: Have a base of inquisiveness, curiosity, and capacity that I think she [Gloria] has, she will
learn fast.
8. What are your fears with regard to your child's use of technologies in the future?
Father: also that the technologies have a lot of control over what we do that also scares me a little
bit. There comes a point where this technological immersion makes you forget about
what you are getting into, and that you are leaving many traces of what you do… because digital
data already has a footprint that is not going to be deleted. So, you have to know what you put.
What is done with profiles and so scared me a little. We are not very aware of what he created.
Mother: “Really, big data moves over us.”
Father: “ Even light consumption is registered…”
Poveda: Is this something that also concerns you thinking of Gloria?
Father: “Yes yes, they do not realize that the kids play many things even crimes that they are not
aware of. [Technology] is a tool, it depends on how it is managed.
Mother: “He [Father] had to report within Youtube kids recording classes and that's illegal.
Father: “… Perhaps you can make life [using technology], but what happens is that you need to
have a very intimate connection to Internet and you've already launched [your information] to the
air and in addition to that it replicates. That's going to be there already forever, huh?
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 33
Mother: “To make an example I did not accept the group of WhatsApp from the nursery. I do not
want the images of Gloria to come out and do not want it to spread either because I get frightened
that I lose control over that image and if Gloria comes out in some ridiculous way tomorrow it is
used for meme. but where those memes of kids doing fools have come from?”
Father: “I think that it is better that less are exposed. Today we do not know what it is going to be
used for.
Mother: “We are in a moment of the use of Internet and social networks in which there is a lack of
total control absolutely that moves by mobile phone and that I do worry regarding the image of
Gloria.
Father: “Of course they [youngsters] are very naive. They recorded themselves doing things and
they think they do not have an impact… How many people easily… Girl has had sex with boys, and
that extends and suicides, for example. Perhaps it does not reach this mode, but that you do not
realize the level that they can enter your privacy and that we will never control.
9. What kind of advice or guidance would you feel your family would benefit from in terms
of your child's use of technologies?
Mother: “There should be a tool for parents…”
Father: “That there are studies about when technology should be introduced, in what way.”
Mother: “I think in the educational system in Spain it is missing within the transversal subjects there
is no area of digital technology. It is not transversal. The digital education is separated. Computer
science is as a subject, technology is as a subject but not the transversal part of [the curriculum].
The digitalization of the kids should start with a coherent digital literacy but coherent. That is not
not like "I have a lot of money this year, and so I’m going to invest in that all the kids have a
samsung tablet.” That's an idiot because it does not carry behind a sensible content because it is in
the dilemma of selling digital contents and to see the plan that our government has is when they
have remained 30,000 that we cannot spend. That's not a sensible way to spend a government’s
fund and it's not a sensible way to face the future of the kids about the technological level.”
……
Mother: it seems to me a lot of resource generated from companies. I mean, there are many
Disney resources, you can draw from internet everything you want but I worry about the
pedagogical part behind of all the resources are within reach at the moment ... Because of course
there are people who say “I use a lot of YouTube Kids because it eliminates [inappropriate content
for kids], but I say but if I leave this tablet within the reach of my daughter as my co-worker does
using youtube kids, I’m not controlling what content interested for example what is forbidden in the
nursery. If you are learning the numbers, yes they are watching content that go on that side.”
Father: What worries me is that everything works for money. Then some are pedagogical, but they
put the material resources and they have to sell and have to be sellable… To what extent you have
a pedagogical load or you are creating future consumers.”
Mother: “ We have been worried is that the elimination of the subject of [Father] is the reason why
he is unemployed. They have eliminated the visual literacy in the Secondary School and plastic
and visual education is eliminated and eliminate the possibility that the kids see things in a critical
way regarding advertisements. For me it is very important that Gloria in the future be a critical
Papers Infancia_c nº22 - ISSN 2254-5565 / 34
person with what you see. Later she can accept it, of course. I mean, I can decide to wear my
hipster beard because I like it, but I want her not to be because she has seen it five times a day in
the publicity of Coca Cola.”
Father: sometimes consumers are created because at the end of the day he will ask you they pay
you something, right? I say yes but sometimes the companies reach a point where they have to
sell to make money. When you do and also earn more and you need to foster that, not for
individuals but what is best for the company. That makes me a little angry, does not it? The excess
of consumerism all that besides seeing on TV all the time the theme of Christmas now, right?
That’s tremendous. Taking out the critical spirit is difficult and you participate a part, not that I am
against, well, I'm against it… let's see, I do not like everyone raking his head about it. There are a
lots of things. I think when I'm missing to me what I need, I take it, if not, I'm not interested…. but I
do not deny that our daughter can start to have access to that [technology] when it becomes
necessary, we will see, that’s fine.
Mother: “Or when my brother ‘retire’ a Tablet of a child. They are hyper-consumers. I have no
problem inheriting things. It facilitates us to access technology.
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Appendix III: inventories of digital devices and activities by Roser and Gloria
Roser
Devices the child has
access to
●
Gloria
●
●
●
●
●
Television set connected
to the internet
Tablet (other)
iPhone
Samsung Galaxy
DVD recorder
Electronic toy
●
●
●
●
Standard TV set
PC/ laptop
DVD recorder
Electronic toy
Other devices in the
home
●
PC
●
●
a smartphone
an e-reader
Apps used by the child
on tablet/ smartphone
●
●
Audio/musical play
Video apps
None (but used YouTube on the
laptop)
Activities carried out by
child using a tablet
●
●
Watching video
Listening to stories/ audio
books
Listen to music
Looking at pictures/
photos
Voice/video
communication
None – family does not have a
tablet
Take photos (with adult’s
assistance)
None – family does not have a
tablet
●
●
●
Abilities demonstrated by
child during tablet usage
●
National Report of Spain: "A Day in the Digital Lives of 0-3 Year Olds" papers infancia_c nº 22
Infancia_c, 2019
This report summarises the work carried out by researchers in Spain as part of the ‘A Day in the Digital Lives of Children Aged 0–3’ project research of DigiLitEY COST Action (IS1410) Working Group 1 ‘Digital Literacy in Homes and Communities’. 13 families from six European countries participated, and in the case of Spain, two families participated, being recruited one each from Madrid and Barcelona. The research methodology was mainly a qualitative case study approach drawing from the ‘Day in the Life’ approach (DITL) (Gillen et al., 2007; Gillen & Cameron, 2010) - using a combination of interviews, observational field notes and video recordings to collect data - focusing on one day in the life of the child and their family. Additionally, we collected comparable quantitative data in the form of inventories, such as those of technologies available in the home. In this report, we share the findings on the two cases from Spain, following a common report guideline drawn up for the project: 1) a summary of the process of data collection (recruitment, the first visit, the ‘day’, and the final interview); and 2) responses to the research questions. In appendices, additionally, we include the summary or transcription of the interviews with the parents and the inventories of digital devices and activities by the two focal children....Read more
