Digital Media: Is it Empowering or Damaging the Socialization of Children

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the influence of digital media, particularly those platforms which are accessible on smartphones, on the socialization patterns of 4–10 years old children of Peshawar, Pakistan. Informed by Media Ecology Theory; the study investigates how children's engagement with digital media impacts their communication, social relations language skills, and behavior. The data were obtained by means of 8 focus group discussions: 4 with children and 4 with mothers and teachers using purposive sampling technique. The most commonly used digital devices were smartphones and they were incorporated into everyday practices, as per thematic analysis. For children, the bulk of a child’s screen time is often on entertainment and social media, not educational content. The results also suggest advantages and pitfalls to digital socializing. And, as much as digital tools can foster connection and collaboration, they have also weakened face-to-face communication skills, created social anxiety, and resulted in self-comparison. Gendered trends in use of content were discovered, confirming outdated stereotypes. Parental mediation was found to be a factor which played an important role in the shaping of healthy digital behavior. As a result, the study suggests that the use of digital media among children is a common practice and needs to be carefully guided in order to lead to favorable developmental consequences. Suggestions are made for parents, teachers and policy makers to promote balanced and beneficial use of digital media in early childhood.