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Engagement and Immersion in Digital Play: Supporting Young Children’s Digital Wellbeing

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  • Kelly Johnston

    (School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia)

Abstract

For many families, young children’s engagement with screen-based technology is an ongoing concern in terms of physical, social and cognitive development. They are uneasy with the difficulty children have disengaging from screens and concerned that this behavior is obsessive or a sign of addiction. However, technology is recognized as having a “rightful role” in early childhood contexts. This scoping paper reports on a review of literature relating to digital play for children aged birth to five years, with the aim of further understanding digital wellbeing. Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory serves as a theoretical framework for understanding why many young children enjoy digital play and become deeply engaged, with a disconnect between how young children and adults perceive digital play. Concerns about children’s deep immersion with digital play are interrogated to understand the connections with perceived addictive traits. The review highlights the critical importance of supporting children’s agency and digital citizenship skills from a young age, including the ability to critique content, balance screen-time with non-screen time and to develop self-control and self-regulation as a means to promote long-term positive outcomes for children in their digital lifeworlds and beyond.

Suggested Citation

  • Kelly Johnston, 2021. "Engagement and Immersion in Digital Play: Supporting Young Children’s Digital Wellbeing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-13, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:19:p:10179-:d:644860
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aaron P. Wood & Vincenzo G. Nocera & Tyler J. Kybartas & Dawn P. Coe, 2020. "Physical Activity and Cognitive Aspects of Self-Regulation in Preschool-Aged Children: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Elizabeth Pollard & Patrice Lee, 2003. "Child Well-being: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 59-78, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Thitikorn Topothai & Rapeepong Suphanchaimat & Chompoonut Topothai & Viroj Tangcharoensathien & Nisachol Cetthakrikul & Orratai Waleewong, 2022. "Thailand Achievement of SDG Indicator 4.2.1 on Early Child Development: An Analysis of the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-12, June.
    2. Yuying Shen & Liyun Wu & Heather Richter & Carlene Turner, 2024. "Digitalization and Inequality: Digital Disparities and Mental Health among Adolescents in the U.S," RAIS Conference Proceedings 2022-2024 0367, Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies.
    3. Thitikorn Topothai & Rapeepong Suphanchaimat & Chompoonut Topothai & Viroj Tangcharoensathien & Nisachol Cetthakrikul & Orratai Waleewong, 2022. "Self-Reported Parental Interactions through Play with Young Children in Thailand: An Analysis of the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-12, March.
    4. Simin Cao & Hui Li, 2023. "A Scoping Review of Digital Well-Being in Early Childhood: Definitions, Measurements, Contributors, and Interventions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-20, February.

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