Parental decision-making: infant engagement with smartphones.

Smartphones have become a ubiquitous part of life, and as a result, many children are engaging with smartphones beginning in infancy. Little is known regarding the thought processes used by parents in deciding when and how to allow their infants to engage with smartphones. Using a sample of twelve parents with infants younger than one year, this qualitative study examines parental smartphone use, their perspectives regarding use by their young children, and what sources informed their decision-making about allowing their infants to use a smartphone. Results found that the smartphone has become such a common part of everyday life that choices to use a smartphone around, and with, infants has become one that is nearly automatic. These research data showed that most parents are largely unaware of guidelines for childhood screen time provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization. Given our current knowledge that smartphone use can have a significant impact on the cognitive development of young children, this topic is an important area of future research.
(Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)