Children’s Forums: Exploring Digital Technology through Children’s Perspectives

Written by Irina Silva and Susan Danby

Digital technologies are changing childhoods, bringing new opportunities and challenges that are important to consider. Parents from Western countries report screen use as their biggest concern regarding their children’s health and behaviour ahead of problems related to nutrition, bullying and physical inactivity (Sanders et al., 2024). Australian parents shared similar concerns, reporting excessive screen use as their biggest concern, followed by cyberbullying, bullying and internet safety (The Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll, 2021). Acknowledging the presence of digital technology in young children’s lives and the concerns shared by parents highlighted the importance of investigating young children’s understanding of digital technologies to provide support, evidence-based information and guidance to young children and families.

Exploring children’s engagement with digital technologies by focusing exclusively on the duration of children’s digital experiences provides insufficient information and can lead to misconceptions of children’s perspectives. To better understand children’s digital experiences, it is important to consider: i) the content that children are accessing, ii) the contexts where children are accessing digital technologies, iii) who is involved, iv) how and when children are engaging, and v) the outcomes of the activity (Mallawaarachchi, et. Al, 2024; Sanders, et al., 2024). Understanding the multiple layers of children’s digital experiences from children’s perspectives was the main objective of the Children’s Forums project A range of theoretical and methodological approaches were used by experienced and early career researchers brought together as a working group that focuses on supporting young children to actively participate in research as the main informants of this project. The knowledge explored and shared by the team was essential to establish shared understandings regarding the importance of conducting research that acknowledges children’s rights and accounting for children’s voices and perspectives in matters that affect their lives.

Project aims

Granting children with opportunities to actively participate in research is critical to understanding children’s perspectives about matters that affect their lives, including the digital world (Corsaro, 2015; Danby & Farrell, 2004). As such, young children are the main informants of this study exploring:

  • Understandings of what are digital technologies and their role in children’s lives.
  • Children’s understanding of the impact of digital technologies in their education, health and wellbeing, relationships, citizenship and play and pedagogy.
  • Children’s participatory methods that account for children’s rights.

This project aims to investigate: 

  1. Young children’s perspectives about the presence and influence of digital technologies in various areas of their lives
  2. Provide children with opportunities to share their perspectives of the future of digital technologies and how they envisage their future digital experiences
  3. Understand how young children envisage future studies involving children and digital technologies

Participants, methods, workshops and activities

In total, 62 children aged 3 to 8 years from Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia participated in this project. Accompanied by their parents and/or caregivers, children attended workshops held at the WA State Library and the Children’s Technology Spaces within the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Members from the Centre participating in this project are located at Queensland University of Technology, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, University of Wollongong and Deakin University.  

During the workshops, children had opportunities to engage in various activities designed in a child-friendly manner to provide opportunities to share their understandings of the digital world. Seven activities were designed and included paper-based activities, digital activities, exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and conversations with researchers. Children’s participation was dependent on children and parents/caregivers providing written consent. This project’s understandings will inform the revised ECA Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies.  

Presenting the data

We begin with a data overview that illustrates:

  1. The presence of digital devices in the children’s everyday lives,
  2. The presence of digital activities in children’s everyday digital lives
  3. Where children engage with digital technologies within their everyday contexts
  4. The presence of others participating in digital experiences within children’s everyday lives

These understandings were shared by the children during discussions about their engagement with digital technologies in their everyday lives.

Note: the results presented in the diagrams are preliminary to later detailed analysis of data and report on 45 children.

During children’s participation in the workshops, the research team had opportunities to talk with the children about the digital devices that they have access to in their everyday lives. Tablets and iPads were the digital devices most frequently mentioned by 33% of the children, followed by TV mentioned by 28% of the children. Mobile phones were referred to by 20% of the children, computers 5% and cameras 4% and speakers were mentioned 2%.

During conversations with the children, they described how they engaged in various digital activities in their everyday lives. Watching TV/Movies was an activity mentioned by 25% of the children, followed by playing games (15%), phone/video calls (13%) and taking photos/video recording (12%). Listening to music and exploring apps where activities mentioned by 10% of children. The activities less frequently mentioned in the children’s conversation were schoolwork (8%), watching video sharing platforms (e.g., YouTube) (4%), watching video streaming services (e.g., Netflix) (2%) and watching music videos (1%).

 

 

Children indicated that most of their digital experiences happened at home (62%). The second context most frequently mentioned was school (26%) followed by car (5%), restaurant (3%), travelling (2%) and cinema (2%).

Most children talked about their independent digital experiences (24%). They identified that siblings are the people with whom they most frequently engaged with in digital experiences (22%) followed by their mothers (20%). Children’s engagement in digital experiences with their friends was mentioned by 10% of the children. The grandparents (9%), the extended family (i.e., uncles, aunts and cousins) (8%) and the father (7%) are the people who shared fewer digital experiences with children.

Digital technologies influence in children’s relationships, health and wellbeing, citizenship and play and pedagogy

Using the frameworks of Sociology of Childhood and Children’s Rights, the children’s contributions were analysed according to the four themes discussed in the ECA Statement of Young Children and Digital Technologies: 1) relationships, 2) health and wellbeing, 3) citizenship and 4) play and pedagogy.

Young children’s childhoods don’t occur in a social vacuum. They participate with are lived among other adults (e.g., parents/caregivers, family members, educators, broader community), and children (e.g., siblings, classmates, friends) who engage with them in multiple ways including through digital technologies.

1.1 Children recognised digital technologies as a means to support them in connecting with their families and friends from a distance

Some children who attended the workshops explained they engaged with family members using digital technologies such as mobile phones and Facetime. Voice and video calls (examples 1 and 2) and sharing photos using mobile phones (example 3) were examples of ways children connected with their family members using digital technologies.

Example 1: During a conversation between a child, their mother and the researcher, a child mentioned their use of conference calls to talk to their mother and family overseas.

These examples demonstrate that digital technologies are used by children to engage with family members living abroad, providing opportunities for family connection.

Example 2: During a conversation between a child and the researcher, a child explained their preference of using video calls rather than voice calls.

In this second example, the child was talking about the ways they interact with their grandparents while they were travelling. The child explained their preference for video calls because they value the options of seeing the person who they are talking to.

Example 3: A collage produced during an arts-based activity by Elson, 2- year-old

During this the children were invited to produce a drawing or collage using various materials provided to represent children’s play. Children where asked about what they liked to do when they play, where and with whom. Children and researchers talked about the children’s creations. One of the children who participated in this activity with their mother created the collage above. The child picked up a football, a camera and chose a background of a garden because they liked to play ball in the garden, as they explained. Their mother added that “their favourite word is ball”. Mum explained that she often takes pictures of them in the garden playing ball to send to her parents/ child’ grandparents. The mother explained that the child likes looking at the pictures before they get sent, and the child can recognise himself in the photographs. They shared that the child is used to their mum’s iPhone and her taking photos as a way to share the child’s experiences with the grandparents. They also used Facetime to connect with their grandparents using their mother’s phone.

Example 4: A drawing produced during the activity Children in Charge by Helio, 8-years-old

An 8-year-old child produced a drawing to show how their perfect day would look like. Children explored their imaginaries and discussed ways that digital technologies could support them in connecting with their friends. The first drawing, on the left side, shows a teleporting machine, and the child explained: “I would like to have a teleporting machine to take me to my friend’s house. They live 2 miles away from me”. This example shows how the child used their imagination to think about how digital technologies could help him connect with their friend when they are apart.

1.2 Children recognised digital technologies as a means to support them in connecting with their families within the home

Children frequently included their family members when talking about their everyday experiences, including the ones around digital technologies. Playing games, watching tv and movies were activities children shared with their families at home.

Example 5: A drawing produced during the activity Children in Charge by Will, 4-year-old

When talking about their perfect days, children discussed how they engage in digital experiences with their families at home. A 4-year-old child produced the drawing above and described saying: “This is my TV in the living room. My brother, I, my mum and my dad are watching a rocky movie”. For this child, digital technologies (i.e., TV and movies) were part of a family experience lived in their living room.

Example 6: A drawing produced during the activity Me & Digital Technologies by Polly, 4-year-old

 

When asked about their digital experiences, this child drew themselves and their sister watching TV at home showing how digital technologies are present in their family interactions.

The ways children engage with the digital world can influence their health and wellbeing and are worthy to be explored.

2.1 Screen time

Screen time is a topic frequently discussed within families and children shared their willingness to have a say regarding their screen time as demonstrated in the following examples:

Example 7: Adam, 7-year-old talking about screen time

Example 7 shows the child’s perspective regarding their voice when it comes to making decisions around their screen time. The child explains that screen time was determined by their mother and they did not have the opportunity to participate in this decision. The lack of participation in the decision-making process that affected the child’s experience made them feel “annoyed” as per their explanation.

Figure 8: Drawing produced during the activity Me & Digital Technologies by Haley, 6-year-old

During the Me & Digital Technologies activity, the children were invited to produce a drawing to represent themselves and digital technologies. Children and the researchers talked about the ways children engaged with digital technologies, where their digital experiences usually happened, the digital technologies involved and who shared these experiences with children. A 6-year-old child drew themselves and their mother saying: time is up with an upset face and themselves saying: no. After completing the activity, the child explained that their parents did not like them to spend much time using technologies. The researcher asked the child what they thought much time could be as shown in the conversation below:

Child: Like, much time is every day after school, all weekend… My parents say it is important to do other things too.

Researcher: I see. And I wonder, what do you think? Are you happy with the time you can use digital technologies?

Child: Hummmm. Sometimes, I would like to have more time to play on my iPad.

This example brings the need to reflect on shifting the perspective for educators and parents to consider what children are doing on the screen, and with whom are they doing it instead of focusing exclusively on screen time. A focus on time spent on the screens becomes a less useful measure of children’s engagement with others because it provides a reduced understanding of children’s digital experiences.

2.2 Children’s everyday experiences can include digital and non-digital activities

Example 9: A collage produced during an arts-based activity by Audrey, 6- year-old

A 6-year-old child talked with the researcher about their play while making a collage to represent their perfect day. The child included various stickers to represent digital and non-digital play activities, demonstrating awareness of technology-linked play and non-technology play. The child expressed that they were confident in using an iPad for activities such as watching child-focused TV shows and playing role games that design avatars and their world. In conversations around play and what they like to do in their play, they focused on physical places, like the playground and school, as well as the social experiences. When asked about their choices of items for the collage they delved deeper into topics like making new friends at the playground, playing with their dogs, and schoolwork. The focus on non-digital play in the artwork reflected technology restrictions in the household. The child’s mother confirmed that iPads were not allowed until after 4 pm and the child’s class does not participate in the bring your own device program.

Example 10: Drawing produced during the activity My Perfect Day by Maia, 8-years-old

The child expressed their happiness in being able to plan a day when they could decide what to do and eat without adults’ restrictions. The child explained the drawing starting from the top left square and said: (1) At night I will be watching TV in the living room, (2) In the morning, I would have my bedroom just for myself, (3) I will have brekkie in front of the TV at home watching YouTube, (4), In the morning, I would not go to school. At 9.00 am. I am going to make my older sister give me piggyback rides around the whole complex (where they live), and (5) In the afternoon I would get ready for my sleepovers with my best friend.

The child reflected on the activities that they would like to engage in which included digital and non-digital activities (e.g., watching TV and piggyback rides), where these activities would take place (i.e., home) and who they would like to share these experiences with (i.e., sister and best friend). This example shows how the child includes digital technologies in their everyday experiences and how they also consider digital and non-digital activities part of their daily living.

Example 11: Drawing produced during the activity My Perfect Day by Emilia, 4-years-old

For this child, the perfect day did not include engagement with digital technologies.

For this child, their perfect day did not include engagement with digital technologies. The child explained that their perfect day would be with their pets and their grandmother’s pets. The child explained that “they (the pets) don’t usually get along very well, but on their perfect day they will”. The child asked the researcher to write the animals’ names on the drawing to remember later because they couldn’t write their names yet. From the top left square, the child explained that: (1) Britta was their dog, (2) Ollie was their grandmother’s cat, (3) Annie was their grandmother’s cat, (4) Henry was their grandmother’s dog, (5) child drew themselves and wrote their name in the drawing.

Example 12: Drawing produced during the activity My Perfect Day by Xander, 5-years-old

In line with example 11, this child demonstrated that their perfect day does not include digital experiences. When given the opportunity to plan their perfect day the child elected a day at the farm seeing kangaroos and long grass.

Young children have an active role in their present and future communities. Recognising their rights, privacy and safety while navigating their digital worlds is essential to construct citizenship in digital contexts from early years.

3.1 Children showed interest in having control of their digital experiences

The workshops included various activities and the children were invited to select the ones they would like to engage in without any designated order, although the researchers had some control over the activities. For example, Exploring AI was an activity that included the use of a website (i.e., Adobe Firefly) unknown to many participants’ children. The researchers started this activity by explaining the functionalities of the Adobe Firefly and how children could explore it. The researchers invited the children to suggest the prompts used to create a picture using the app. The researchers were in control and responsible for typing the prompts and some children showed interest in taking control of the activity as illustrated in the examples below (see examples 13 and 14).

Example 13: Haley, 6-year-old talking about their experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Example 14: Ada, 3-year-old talking about their experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In examples 13 and 14, both children demonstrated their interest in taking over the activity. The child in example 13 expressed verbally their willingness to be the one typing the prompt and having control of the input given to the image generator website (2. Child: Wait, can I? I can type in stuff by myself). In example 14, the child showed their interest in taking control of the activity by touching the screen on two occasions. These children demonstrated their desire to have ownership of their digital experiences in different ways and highlighted the importance of reflecting on adults’ and children’s roles during shared experiences, including digital interactions.

Example 15: Fieldnotes of a conversation between Bella, an 8-year-old child and a researcher during the consent process

Parents’ and children’s consent were essential for children to be involved in this project. Asking for children’s consent in a child-friendly way created opportunities to explore children’s understanding of their privacy and right to decide whether or not they wish to participate in the activities proposed and how. Example 15 shows the child’s understanding of their privacy, what means to them to share their private information on the internet and the importance of discussing these topics with children to foster young children’s citizenship. 

Children consider digital technologies as tools to engage in their play individually and with their friends and family members. Exploring children’s understanding of play, made visible that digital technologies do not substitute other forms of play, instead they afford children additional opportunities.

When asked about their preferred ways to play, children mentioned:

  • Outdoor play – riding scooters, playing netball, soccer, going to the park, playing in the playground and slide, riding a horse, jumping on a trampoline and doing off-road.
  • Non-digital play – Lego, drawings, puzzles, cars, toys, reading books
  • Digital play – digital and online games and iPads were forms of play frequently mentioned by the children. Watching TV series, Netflix, and YouTube videos were also activities mentioned by the children.

4.1 Playing was one of the children’s favourite ways to engage with digital technologies.

Play is an important part of young children’s lives and motivates many children’s digital experiences as demonstrated by the children involved in this project.

Example 16: Lauren, 8-year-old, talking about digital technologies

Screens was a word frequently mentioned by the children to talking about their digital devices. Many children indicated that touch screens supported their digital play.

Example 17: Drawing produced during the activity Me & Digital Technologies by Maia, 8-year-old

The child explained Roblox was their favourite game that they usually play on their iPad at home. The researcher asked was Roblox was and the child explained.

Child: “Roblox is a game with lots of games in it. You can create yourself, like your avatar, and work on your own restaurant for example. You can build your house too.”

Researcher: “It looks really interesting! Do you play on your own or you can play with your friends for example?”

Child: “You can do both. I play on my own but my sister also has Roblox. Sometimes I play on my iPad and she plays on hers and we find each other in the game. It is really fun!”

In this example, the child explained how they use technologies to play and how they engaged in playing with their sister within the game context. Even though the children involved were using different devices (i.e., iPads), the game afforded them the option to connect which highlights the importance of considering and exploring online play as social play.

Example 18: Drawing produced during the activity Me & Digital Technologies by Emilia, 4-years-old

The child explained their drawing by saying: I like watch Spidy and Unicorn Academy on Netflix, listen to music on a speaker from YouTube and use Duplo app on Mum’s phone.

Example 19: Ilva taking a photo of their mother during data collection using a cardboard phone

The child demonstrated that digital technologies are part of young children’s lives by including them in their pretend play and showing the construction of non-digital representations of digital technologies as additional play tools.

4.2 iPads are one of the children’s favourite digital technologies that supports children’s play and school learning

The four examples outlined suggest a preference for iPads shared by many children who participated in this project. Many children had access to iPads at home, some had their own iPads, and used them to engage in various activities including playing games, exploring apps, doing schoolwork, and watching YouTube.

Example 20: Drawing produced during the activity Me & Digital Technologies by Aaron, 7-year-old

The child explained they had their own iPad and they liked to use it to explore the app book creator to create books or comic books. They added that they learn how to use this app at school but they also explore it at home.

Example 21: Drawing produced during the activity Me & Digital Technologies by Bella, 8-year-old

The child explained that Math Playground is an app they used at school to learn maths, however “it is more about playing than really working. It is fun” – said the child. This example illustrates how digital technologies can support children’s schoolwork in an enjoyable and engaging way.

Example 22: Drawing produced during the activity Me & Digital Technologies by Helio, 8-year-old

The child explained their drawing and said: “This is my Dad’s iPad. I use it at home to watch videos on YouTube, use Google Maps and Study Ladder”. This child showed their digital preferences by representing their father’s iPad screen, drawing the apps available and explaining which ones they had permission to use (i.e., YouTube, Google Maps and Study Ladder).

Example 23: Drawing produced during the activity My Perfect Day by Avelin, 4-years-old

When talking about what a perfect day would look like, the child indicated that a holiday with toys, teddies and an iPad that would be part of the activities they planned (i.e., watching TV shows) would be their perfect day. When given the opportunity to reflect and choose their daily activities, the child included the digital and non-digital activities and the iPad was the device selected to support the digital activities.

4.3 Digital Technologies offer opportunities to explore new knowledge

Many children involved in this project shared how they used digital technologies to explore topics of their interest independently and among their families and friends. Using internet browsers and apps were the means commonly mentioned by the children. In addition, children also demonstrated how their everyday digital experiences (i.e., watching movies and series) contributed to their engagement with new topics and knowledge.

Example 24: Fieldnotes of a conversation between a researcher and Martin, 3.5-year-old, about how they explore weather apps. 

This example shows how digital technologies supported the child to explore a topic of their interest, contribute to expanding their knowledge and engage with their parents.

Example 25: Archer, 3-year-old, sharing their knowledge about dinosaurs

Whilst playing with a researcher, the child picked up two dinosaur toys and named them accurately, telling the researcher they were a T-Rex and Triceratops. They explained they used his parent’s phone to watch TV and learn about dinosaurs. During the play, the child used a lanyard as a pretend pulley system to ‘save’ the dinosaurs, as they explained. The child engaged with a recording iPad, re-enacting scenes from ‘A Land Before Time’ – a film the child had watched about dinosaurs on a survival quest.

Similarly to Example 24, this child used digital technologies to engage and extend their knowledge about a topic of interest. Additionally, the child used an iPad to record themselves recreating scenes of a film which shows how digital technologies can afford opportunities to explore creativity and share knowledge in various ways.

Conclusion

The Children’s Forum project provided valuable insights into how young children understand and engage with digital technologies in their everyday lives. By centering children’s voices and experiences, the findings of this project move beyond simplistic concerns about screen time to explore the nuanced ways that digital technologies intersect with children’s relationships, health and wellbeing, citizenship, and play and pedagogy. The findings underscore the importance of acknowledging children as active participants in the digital world, capable of articulating their experiences, preferences, and aspirations.

Children demonstrated complex understandings of digital technologies, recognising their potential to connect with loved ones, support learning, and provide entertainment. They also expressed awareness of the challenges and boundaries associated with digital use, highlighting the importance of guidance and shared experiences with adults. These insights challenge deficit-based narratives that often dominate public discourse and instead advocate for a strengths-based approach that respects children’s agency and rights.

The participatory methods employed in this project designed to be inclusive, engaging, and respectful of children’s development and experiences proved effective in eliciting rich, meaningful data. The collaborative nature of the research, involved multiple institutions and interdisciplinary researcher expertise, further strengthened the outcomes of the project’s data through the complexities within the various activities and responsiveness of these to different contexts and ages.

Ultimately, the Children’s Forum project contributes to a growing body of research that calls for child-informed policies and practices in the digital age. It reinforces the need for educators, families, and policymakers to listen to children’s perspectives and to co-construct digital environments that are safe, enriching, and empowering. The findings will inform the revised ECA Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies, ensuring that children’s voices are embedded in future guidance and advocacy. As digital technologies continue to evolve, so too must our commitment to understanding and supporting children’s digital lives through research that honours their experiences and respects their rights.

Suggested citation

Suggested citation: Danby, Silva, Barblet, Kervin, Murcia, Paatch, Archer, Boylan, Chalmers, Corser, Hardley, Hendry, Mallawaarachchi, Matthews, Nicholas, Peach, Roberts, See,  Watt, Amery, Ding, Menell, Phoenix, Trenaman, Zada (2025). Children’s Forums: Exploring Digital Technology through Children’s Perspectives. https://digitalchild.org.au/exploring-digital-technology-through-childrens-perspectives/

References

Corsaro, W. A. (2015). The sociology of childhood (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Danby, S., Ewing, L. & Thorpe, S. (2011). The novice researcher: Interviewing young children. Qualitative Inquiry,17 (1), 74-84. http://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410389754

Danby, Susan & Farrell, Ann (2004) Accounting for Young Children’s Competence In Educational Research: New Perspectives on Research Ethics. Australian Educational Researcher, 31(3), pp. 35-49. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF03249527

Early Childhood Australia (ECA). (2018). Statement on young children and digital technologies. Canberra, ACT: ECA. http://dx.doi.org/10.23965/ECA.001

Mallawaarachchi, S., Burley, J., Mavilidi, M., Howard, S. J., Straker, L., Kervin, L., … & Cliff, D. (2024). Early childhood screen use contexts and cognitive and psychosocial outcomes: a systematic review and Meta-analysis. JAMA pediatrics

Sanders, T., Noetel, M., Parker, P., Del Pozo Cruz, B., Biddle, S., Ronto, R., Hulteen, R., Parker, R., Thomas, G., De Cocker, K., Salmon, J., Hesketh, K., Weeks, N., Arnott, H., Devine, E., Vasconcellos, R., Pagano, R., Sherson, J., Conigrave, J., & Lonsdale, C. (2024). An umbrella review of the benefits and risks associated with youths’ interactions with electronic screens. Nat Hum Behav 8, 82–99. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01712-8

The Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll (2021). Top 10 child health problems: What Australian parents think, Poll Number 20. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria. NCHP20-Poll-report-A4_FA.pdf

Acknowledgements

This project was developed by members of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child: Distinguished Professor Susan Danby, Dr Irina Silva, Professor Annette Woods, Professor Lisa Kervin, Professor Louise Paatsch, Professor Lennie Barblett, Professor Karen Murcia, Associate Professor Christina Chalmers, Dr Sarah Matthews, Dr Kristy Corser, Dr Maria Nicholas, Dr Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, Dr Jess Hardley, Danica Hendry, Dr Maria del Pilar Enriquez Watt, Dr Lois Peach, Dr Pauline Roberts, Dr. Fiona Boylan, Dr. Harrison See, Dr. Catherine Archer, Dana Trenaman, Philippa Amery, Sarsha Menell, Lingyue Ding, Khan Zada, Tamara Gulic Phoenix.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child would like to thank all the children, parents and caregivers involved in this project for their collaboration and generosity in contributing to this project with their invaluable expertise.

This project was fully funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, Australia (Project CE200100022) and obtained ethical approval from the University Human Reserach Ethics Committe (UHREC), QUT approval number 8372.

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