Mindful Media: Exploring Parents’ Awareness and Beliefs on Gadget Use in Early Childhood (0-3 Years)

This study examined Malaysian parents' knowledge, beliefs, and misconceptions regarding the use of handheld gadgets among children in the age group of 0-3 years, which is considered a crucial period for cognitive, socio-emotional, and language development. A qualitative research design guided data collection through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight parents recruited by purposive snowball sampling. Thematic analysis, based on Braun and Clarke's framework, yielded three key findings. First, parents expressed moderate to high levels of awareness regarding the potential developmental risks of early gadget exposure; however, their understanding remained largely superficial and was acquired through social media rather than from any professional guidance. Second, parents believed that gadgets were useful for promoting early cognitive development, especially in terms of acquiring English vocabulary and basic numeracy skills; however, they often failed to make distinctions between active, educational engagement with screen media and the merely passive consumption of screen content. Third, several misconceptions arose, such as that gadgets can pacify children without developmental consequences, that watching educational videos constitutes learning, and that screen time may replace caregiver interaction. These misconceptions clearly reveal a gap between parental perception and evidence-based principles of child development. The findings of this study emphasize that structured digital parenting education, culturally relevant awareness programs, and clear guidelines are definitely required for parents of infants and toddlers to ensure the appropriate, mindful use of digital media during the early years.