Abstract
An increasing number of studies examine the use of digital devices (DDs)
by children. However, most of these studies include parents as subjects,
while the children’s perspective has been much less studied. The aim of
this study was to analyze the use of DDs from the perspective of
Croatian children aged 4 to 6 years (N=84) using a semistructured
interview. The results show that there is no child who does not use at
least one DD. Children systematically report varying levels of parental
control over usage. On the other hand, they still favor other forms of
entertainment over the use of DDs – playing with toys, playing with
other children in the park etc. As children tend to use DDs alone and do
not exploit the social aspects of digital media, the need for a live
interactive environment appears to strongly influence preschoolers’
activity choices.