Observing 3-5 Year Old Children's Use of Interactive Electronic Devices (IED) in the Family Home to Understand the Context These Devices Are Being Used in, Exploring Whether Socioeconomic Factors or Parent's Own Use of Such Devices Influence the Child's IED Usage.

This study aims to explore the context of how children aged 3-5 use interactive electronic devices like tablets or smartphones in their everyday home environment. The researchers will look at the social, family, and environmental factors that shape this use. This study will use a qualitative ethnographic approach to explore how young children aged 3-5 use interactive electronic devices (IEDs) in the home. Data will be collected through questionnaires, exploring parent and child IED use, and video recordings of children in their natural home environment over one week, with three recording sessions of approximately four hours each. Following the recording period, selected clips will be reviewed with parents during a semi-structured interview to reflect on behaviours, routines, and context. These videos will help capture not just what children do, but also how they interact with others while using the devices - like gestures, facial expressions, and conversations. The researchers will process the data and extract some video clips. These clips will be used to discuss with parents what they saw in the videos during 60-90-minute interviews to get their insights and giving us a deeper understanding of the child's behaviour and communication. Data analysis will involve inductive thematic analysis of interview transcripts to identify patterns and themes in parental reflections and experiences. To support and accelerate this process, video analysis will be used to extract key moments and behaviours from the recordings, helping to contextualise and enrich the thematic findings. This combined approach will allow for a deep understanding of the social and environmental factors shaping children's technology use. The study will include families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, with children aged 3-5 years of age. Participants will be recruited through early years settings, as well as via flyers distributed across family hubs, community centres, libraries and on social media throughout Yorkshire.

NCT Number	NCT07373483
Lead Sponsor	Sheffield Hallam University Collaborators: University of Chester
Conditions	This Study Explores How Young Children Aged 3 to 5 Use Interactive Electronic Devices
Enrollment	20 participants
Start Date	2025-11-17
Primary Completion	2026-07-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-12-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-01-28