How children engage with technology at each stage of development, from
toddler to twentysomething, and how they can best be supported.
What happens to the little ones, the tweens, and the teenagers, when
technology--ubiquitous in the world they inhabit--becomes a critical
part of their lives? This timely book brings much-needed clarity to what
we know about technology's role in child development. Better yet, it
provides guidance on how to use what we know to help children of all
ages make the most of their digital experiences.
From toddlers who are exploring their immediate environment to
twentysomethings who are exploring their place in society, technology
inevitably and profoundly affects their development. Drawing on her
expertise in developmental science and design research, Katie Davis
describes what happens when child development and technology design
interact, and how this interaction is complicated by children's
individual characteristics and social and cultural contexts. Critically,
she explains how a self-directed experience of technology--one
initiated, sustained, and ended voluntarily--supports healthy child
development, especially when it takes place within the context of
community support.
Children's experiences with technology--their "screen time" and digital
social relationships--have become an inescapable aspect of growing up.
This book, for the first time, identifies the qualitative distinctions
between different ages and stages of this engagement, and offers
invaluable guidance for parents and teachers navigating the digital
landscape, and for technology designers charting the way.
