Parenting in the Digital Age: Parents’ Experiences of Primary School Children’s Technology Use

This study aimed to examine in depth the digital parenting experiences of parents who had children attending primary school. The study was conducted as a case study within a qualitative research approach. The participants were 12 parents whose children were enrolled in Grades 1-4 during the 2022-2023 academic year. Data were collected through a personal information form and an open-ended interview form and were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Four main themes were identified, digital tools in children's lives, parental responses to children's digital tool use, the perceived effects of digital tools on children, and parents' own digital tool use. The findings showed that children were introduced to digital tools at approximately age two and commonly used smartphones, television, and tablets. Although parents supported children's beneficial use of digital tools, they were concerned about their children's possible exposure to risky situations in digital environments. Parents most often described themselves as having a guiding role in children's digital tool use, while some also emphasized consistency and tolerance in parenting behavior.