Something people do: rethinking young children’s digital literacy at home

Digital childhoods in a changing world 

Digital technology is part and parcel of contemporary childhood. From video calls with grandparents, to YouTube dance recitals in the kitchen and teaching grandparents to play Minecraft, young children engage with digital media in ways that are woven through daily family life. These practices raise important - and often tricky - questions. Should we understand the complexity of young children’s digital entanglements as broadly good or bad? Are they helping or hindering learning, literacy and well-being? And what does it really mean to ‘parent’ or educate a ‘digital child’ in this shifting landscape? 

In recent years, public interest in digital literacy has surged^[1]. Concerns about ‘fake news,’ the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, and campaigns like the UK’s push for ‘smartphone-free schools’ reflect anxiety about children’s screen time. These concerns are valid - but they often focus on risks while overlooking the meaning and value of children’s digital experiences at home. In my upcoming presentation at the Joyce Morris Early Years Literacies Conference, I want to explore what we can learn when we shift the conversation away from skills checklists or screen-time limits, and instead look closely at what children and families do with digital technologies. 

Everyday digital literacies: What children do and why it matters 

Much of my work draws on the rich tradition of New Literacy Studies - research that sees literacy not just as reading and writing, but as something people do, deeply embedded in cultural, emotional and social life. My own research with families in the UK and internationally shows that young children’s digital play at home is often creative, emotionally meaningful and full of learning - though it doesn’t always look like school. I’ll talk about 4-year-old Rosie and her mum’s skillful scaffolding of the meaning of the word ‘sagging’ while playing a digital game in the UK and 7-year-old Eshal’s use of her parents’ phone to find science experiments on YouTube, then recreate them with paper, ink, and cardboard at her home in South Africa. These aren’t isolated examples. In our Children, Technology and Play project, we found countless examples of children’s digital and holistic (social, emotional) skills and practical knowledge developed in and through digital play. 

Not just learning: Identity, culture, and critical thinking 

Some of the most powerful examples of digital literacy at home go far beyond traditional learning. Four-year-old Emma understood how TV adverts were trying to persuade her - something experts used to think children under seven couldn’t grasp. Emma’s engagement with the MoneySupermarket ad in the UK demonstrated an emerging awareness of persuasive media - an important aspect of critical digital literacy. Three-year-old Niyat’s story (UK) reveals another dimension. After watching online videos of worship in her Eritrean Christian community, she mirrored the dances, scarf-wrapping, clapping and baby-carrying styles she saw - emphasising her participation in cultural practices through and beyond the digital. We understand this as cultural digital literacy: mastery of meaning systems and socialisation into the cultural contexts of literacy use.  

Digital play and children’s well-being 

In my recent Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children research (a collaboration with UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation), I worked with 50 families across four countries to explore the relationship between children’s digital play and well-being. We found that children used digital technologies not only to learn, but also to express themselves, explore identities, pursue passions and explore and manage emotions. Some played open-ended games that offered a sense of control and autonomy. Others, like 10-year-old Liana in Cyprus, identified as ‘gamers’ and found pride and purpose in that identity. For many, digital play was a way to decompress, connect with friends and family or experience a sense of ‘flow’. Closer examination of digital play reveals the complex ways in which it supports a broad spectrum of children’s emotional, social and psychological needs. Rather than being separate from ‘real life’, it is deeply embedded in the everyday experiences and relationships that shape children’s worlds. 

A note on the ‘Reading for Pleasure crisis’ 

These findings take on new urgency in light of the current reading for pleasure crisis. According to the National Literacy Trust, fewer children today say they enjoy reading than at any point in the last 15 years. This trend has understandably raised alarm among educators, policymakers and literacy advocates. But in our rush to respond, we must be careful not to frame digital play and reading as opposites - or worse, as competing forces. Many of the qualities that make reading valuable - imagination, emotional resonance, narrative exploration - are also present in digital play. 

Instead of asking whether screen time is ‘taking away’ from reading, we might ask: what draws children into digital spaces? What needs are being met there? And how can we connect those same needs to reading and storytelling in new and creative ways? In other words, if we want to reignite children’s love of reading, we need to start by understanding what they already love - both on and off the screen. 

What this means for parents and educators 

For parents, this means recognising that digital play is more than screen time - it’s often a vital space where children can experiment with ideas, emotions and identities. Co-viewing, co-playing, and simply being curious about your child’s digital interests can make a huge difference. 

For educators, it’s time to move beyond operational digital skills alone. Using the 3D model of digital literacy - which recognises operational, cultural and critical dimensions - can help reframe how we support digital learning in early years settings. And crucially, valuing the diverse digital literacy practices children bring from home opens up powerful opportunities to build connection, inclusion and relevance in the classroom. 

Final thoughts: The bigger picture 

The shifting digital context of early childhood experiences raises tricky challenges for parents and educators and work to prevent harm is crucial. However, parenting and educating the ‘digital child’ isn’t about choosing between print books and tablets, or between coding and cuddles. It’s about seeing the whole child - across physical and digital worlds - and recognising the wide range of learning and meaning-making that takes place in both. 

Digital technologies will keep changing. But children’s needs for self-expression, connection, discovery and joy will remain constant. When we pay attention to what children do with digital media, we might start to see not a crisis - but a world of possibilities. 

^[1] Google Trends. (n.d.). Digital Literacy. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=digital%20literacy&hl=en-GB. 

Fiona Scott