학령전기 아동의 스마트기기 사용에 대한 어머니의 인식

Mothers' Perception of Smart Device Use by Preschool Children

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of mothers of preschool children regarding their use of smart devices. Methods: The participants were ten mothers with preschool children attending a daycare center and using smart devices. Data were collected through purposeful sampling from September to October 2020 using in-depth interviews until data saturation was reached. The collected data were analyzed by a conventional content analysis method. Results: Eight categories were derived. ‘Worry about the risk of addiction’, ‘Interfere with the healthy growth and development of children’, ‘Difficulty in blocking smart devices in the present age and the necessity to use them’, ‘Require appropriate parental guidance on use and encouragement of transition activities’, 'Need to increase children's ability to self-regulate their use', 'Use as an aid to facilitate parenting', ‘Use as a means of relieving children's emotions and communication’, and 'Use it as a resource for education and learning and an opportunity to experience indirectly'. Conclusion: Mothers of preschool children recognized that the use of smart devices was essential to enable them to adapt to the present age and that it was necessary to enhance the children's self-regulation, parental guidance, and encouragement to reduce negative aspects such as the risk of addiction.