Challenging the Discourse on Children’s Screen Time: School-Age Educare Educators’ Analyses of Children’s Out-Of-School Use of Digital Technologies

The aim of this study is to critically explore how different discourses surrounding children’s out-of-school use of digital technologies can influence educational practices within school-age educare (SAEC). The study is guided by the following research question: What discourses on children’s out-of-school use of digital technologies emerge from SAEC teachers’ and school leaders’ analyses of children’s drawings, and how might these discourses influence their educational practices? This was accomplished by examining written analyses by SAEC teachers and school leaders of 5933 drawings created by children, depicting their families and leisure activities. Anchored in social constructionist theory and employing a Foucauldian-inspired discourse analysis, three dominant discourses were identified: the discourse on screen time, the discourse on a digital childhood, and the discourse on children’s play. The findings challenge prevailing narratives on screen time and digital childhood by highlighting the diversity in children’s engagement and access to technology. The study concludes that educators must cultivate a nuanced understanding of how contemporary children interact with digital technologies when outside of school. This entails setting aside adult-centric assumptions and foregrounding children’s voices, particularly their interpretations of what it means to be a playing child in a digital world.