International Day for Digital Learning
In recent years, more and more children have been entering the digital world at an increasingly early age. Various studies show that digital devices are part of the everyday environment from the earliest years of life, influencing how children play, explore, and learn (Lauricella et al., 2023; Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015). This phenomenon has sparked intense social and educational debate. At conferences, universities, schools, and even in everyday conversations among families, it is common to hear questions about screen time or the potential risks associated with technology use in childhood.
While the public debate focuses on how much time children spend in front of screens, there is far less discussion about which digital content can benefit children’s learning and development. And even less attention is paid to a factor that scientific evidence identifies as decisive: the quality of the interactions that occur between children and adults during the use and consumption of digital content.
Quality interactions are those in which adults actively support children’s learning through dialogue, guidance, and the joint construction of meaning. From the sociocultural perspective of education, Jerome Bruner notes that learning occurs in interactive contexts where the adult provides scaffolding—that is, tailored support that allows children to progress gradually in their cognitive development (Bruner, 1983). These interactions involve listening, asking questions, explaining, connecting with prior experiences, and encouraging active participation, thereby creating environments rich in learning opportunities.
When these dynamics are integrated into the use of digital technologies, educational possibilities are amplified, provided there is conscious and meaningful mediation. In this regard, recent scientific evidence consistently shows that digital technology, on its own, does not guarantee meaningful learning; it is social mediation that transforms digital experiences into educational opportunities (Fisch, 2004; Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015).
Two of the most studied practices in the scientific literature are joint media engagement and coviewing. Joint engagement refers to situations in which families, educators, or other adults actively interact with children while they use digital technologies, discussing content, asking questions, or exploring digital tools together. This type of interaction promotes the development of language, computational thinking, and socio-emotional skills (Takeuchi & Stevens, 2011; Neumann, 2020). Along the same lines, recent studies on home-based interventions show that when families actively support the use of digital media, comprehension and knowledge transfer increase among preschool-aged children (Lauricella et al., 2023).
Complementarily, research on coviewing has shown that the benefits of educational audiovisual content increase when adults watch programs alongside children and discuss what appears on screen. This process allows for contextualizing the information, relating it to everyday experiences, and fostering a deeper understanding of the content (Fisch, 2004). In the field of digital parental mediation, subsequent studies have also noted that active family involvement during media consumption helps transform screen time into more educational and reflective experiences (Livingstone & Helsper, 2008).
In the current context, marked by the expansion of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, the dimension of social interaction takes on even greater relevance. In this sense, digital learning in childhood cannot be understood without considering the central role of quality social interactions between children and the adults who accompany them. Committing to a guided and reflective use of digital technology not only promotes better educational outcomes but also helps reduce inequalities and foster holistic development in childhood.
References
- Bruner, J. (1983). Child’s talk: Learning to use language. Oxford University Press.
- Fisch, S. M. (2004). Children’s learning from educational television: Sesame Street and beyond. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Hirsh-Pasek, K., Zosh, J. M., Golinkoff, R. M., Gray, J. H., Robb, M. B., & Kaufman, J. (2015). Putting education in “educational” apps: Lessons from the science of learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615569721
- Livingstone, S., & Helsper, E. J. (2008). Parental mediation of children’s internet use. Journal of broadcasting & electronic media, 52(4), 581-599.
- Madary, M., & Metzinger, T. K. (2016). Real virtuality: A code of ethical conduct. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 3, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2016.00003
- Neumann, M. M. (2020). Social interactions and digital media use in early childhood. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 20(4), 589–614.
- Takeuchi, L. M., & Stevens, R. (2011). The new coviewing: Designing for learning through joint media engagement. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
Lecturer and researcher in Communication Sciences at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona . Her work focuses on journalism, communication and gender, as well as the relationship between childhood, media and digital learning. She researches the social impact of media content and promotes a critical, inclusive and evidence-based use of digital technologies.