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0-3-year-old children's language and literacy learning at home in a digital age (0-3s, Tech and Talk)

Lead Research Organisation: Manchester Metropolitan University
Department Name: Faculty of Education

Abstract

Digital media are a commonplace feature in contemporary family life. From birth, almost every child born in the UK has a digital footprint and digital media begin to influence how they live and learn. Around them, families are likely to watch internet-connected TVs and use smartphones or tablets to interact with distant family and friends. Very young children's earliest toys might be digital or have digital components, such as Smart toys, educational or games apps and digital books. These everyday digital practices offer rich opportunities to promote early talk and literacy, but many parents are unsure how to support their children's use of new media in meaningful, playful ways that benefit their learning and their futures. Parents are also mindful of public debates that focus on risks to children's digital safety and security rather than on how digital media influence children's ways of living, sharing, engaging, and learning with and about people and the world. While there is rich research into older children's digital learning and socialising, there are serious gaps in what is known about how very young children interact with, around and through digital media, what devices and platforms they have access to, how long-standing social divides determine digital device ownership and use, and how parents, carers and siblings in majority and minority ethnic, privileged and disadvantaged UK communities support 0-3-year-olds' learning with digital media.

The proposed study addresses this research gap. Uniquely, it brings together academic experts across the four UK nations, supported by a multi-sectoral, international Advisory Board. The specific project objectives are to:

1. Build an empirically robust body of knowledge about how 0-3-year-olds' lives intersect with digital technologies at home in socially and ethnically diverse families in inner-city, urban and rural communities in the four UK nations, including geographic areas of social and economic deprivation
2. Contribute to knowledge about how 0-3-year-olds develop early talk and literacy as they engage with different semiotic systems (e.g. touch, images, sounds, music, speech, writing) in diverse media, and how family members (parents, caregivers, siblings) mediate and safeguard 0-3-year-olds' learning with digital technologies at home
3. Construct robust theoretical models of the human, non-human and more-than-human entanglements and networks that make up the contemporary home learning environment
4. Develop innovative methodological approaches to researching young children's lives at home in diverse communities, through participatory research that is respectful of family preferences, responsive to different cultural values, beliefs and practices, and adaptive to any ongoing social distancing requirements

The project will build a robust body of evidence about 0-3s' language and literacy learning by trialling new ways to research the home collaboratively and sensitively with children and families in diverse communities. The project's theory building will inform practical and conceptual understanding of the contemporary home learning environment, identify areas for future research and build research capacity by recruiting mid- and early-career researchers in universities across the UK. Guided by the multi-sectoral Advisory Board including world-leading academic experts on the digital child, third sector organisations and policymakers, the project will generate empirically informed publications on new approaches to understanding and researching digital childhoods, and materials to help parents make informed decisions about using digital media in learning activities that promote their children's language and literacy. Resources will also be developed for health and social care workers delivering home support services for families, early childhood education professionals, and national and international policymakers interested in promoting early talk and literacy.
 
Description Key findings are summarised below.

1. ALMOST ALL FAMILY HOMES HAVE INTERNET ACCESS and DIGITAL DEVICES.
Virtually all children in the UK are born into highly technologized environments. 98% survey respondents with children aged 0-36 months reported they have internet access with Wi-Fi. 98% own at least one Smartphone, 92% a TV/Smart TV, 82% a laptop, 81% a tablet, 65% own Smart home devices, 63% own gaming consoles, 61% Smart watch/ fitness trackers, 18% own internet-connected toys, and 12% a VR headset. During in-depth interviews and case studies, parents also reported owning a very wide range of other digital devices.

2. THERE ARE DIGITAL DIPARITIES ACROSS FAMILIES and HOUSEHOLDS.
There are disparities across families in terms of digital device ownership, use and attitudes. The survey results showed the average number of devices within the home was 12.55, with device ownership per household ranging from a minimum of 1 device to maximum 40 devices. The range of different types of digital device ranged from 1 to 14, with an average range of 7.43 different device types. Parent income and educational status were the highest predictors of device ownership, with families on lower incomes tending to own fewer devices and a narrower range of devices than families with higher incomes.

3. THE CONCEPT OF 'SCREENTIME' IS PROBLEMATIC.
While many popular digital devices have screens (e.g., TVs, Smartphones, tablets, laptops, cameras, e-readers etc) many digital devices do not have screens (e.g., electronic toys, interactive books, Smart home devices etc). These are often in frequent daily use and their use is observed by children an imitated, such as reaching for touch-sensitive controls of washing machines. A focus on 'screentime' fails to engage with the many ways that diverse digital media are woven into the fabric of everyday life.

4. MANY VERY YOUNG CHILDREN OWN DIGITAL DEVICES.
41% of survey respondents indicated their 0-36-month-old child 'owns' a tablet, 12% a Smartphone, 9% a TV or Smart TV, 8% have web-connected toys and 5% a gaming console. As income increased, the range of child owned devices also increased. Fathers reported their child owned a significantly wider range of devices than reported by mothers. However, we cannot be sure how survey respondents interpreted the word 'own'. Through interviews and case studies, we found a tendency for parents' old devices to be handed down to 0-3s, rather than bought specifically for them.

5. VERY YOUNG CHILDREN USE TECHNOLOGY IN MANY DIFFERENT PLACES.
Very young children use digital devices in many different locations, most frequently at home but also in the car, in restaurants, when visiting friends/family, at nursery, on public transport, in their pushchair, when shopping and when enjoying community facilities (e.g., museums, libraries). Very young children sometimes help to scan items at self-service shop checkouts, to register attendance in medical surgeries etc.

6. WHAT PARENTS DO TOGETHER WITH VERY YOUNG CHILDREN and TECH.
The most frequent parent-child activities on digital devices are (most popular first) taking photographs, looking at family photographs and videos, video calls with family and friends, watching children's TV shows and films, playing music, and watching YouTube clips. Mothers were less likely than fathers to report 'often' using digital devices to play with their child. Parents of children with disability were 1.9 times more likely to report 'often' using a device to play with their child than parents of children with no disability. The most popular device for joint parent-child engagement is the Smartphone, followed by tablet and laptop. Parents tend to select one or two episodes of specific TV programmes through On Demand and enjoy co-viewing these with their child or the child views alone while a parent is busy.

7. WHAT VERY YOUNG CHILDREN DO ON THEIR OWN WITH TECH.
The most frequent activities children do alone on digital devices are (most popular first) watching children's TV shows and videos, playing games, taking and looking at photographs, and watching YouTube clips. In our survey, parents who reported their child had a disability were nearly twice as likely to state their child often played on devices on their own. From our interviews and case studies, we learnt that in families with multiple children, watching TV 'on their own' sometimes also included watching with older siblings. Child lone tech use tended to be with carefully selected specific apps and interactive toys, used at home and during parent appointments (medical, social services etc) and travel.

8. HOW PARENTS MEDIATE THEIR CHILD'S TECH USE.
Parents mediate their child's tech use in many ways, including as 'gatekeepers' (e.g., show child how to use a device, point to items on the screen), in control and supervisory ways (e.g., set parental controls, keep an eye from a distance, limit time), as 'enablers' (e.g., name
colours and shapes, play games and activities together), and in critically reflective ways (e.g., encourage a child to seek information via tech and to think about the information). Parents are making clear, thoughtful, deliberate decisions about their children's use of digital technologies. Parents also act as 'models' by using tech themselves in ways that their child seeks to imitate.

9. VERY YOUNG CHILDREN'S COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE and LITERACY WITH TECH.
Most 0-3-year-olds observe their families' everyday language and literacy practices using tech, and they join in, using sounds, words and symbols in authentic contexts (e.g., interaction when watching TV, viewing and taking photographs, playing games, taking part in video calls in one or more languages etc). In so doing, 0-3s also develop digital literacy skills and knowledge. Many 0-3s learn how to sign, using Sing and Sign apps and programmes to develop these skills along with their parents. Post-pandemic home working practices means 0-3s see parents on laptops, tablets and phones at home, amplifying children's awareness of the importance of tech in working, social and cultural life, and they imitate these practices.

10. VERY YOUNG CHILDREN'S PLAYFUL LEARNING WITH TECH.
In our survey, most parents agreed that digital devices offer opportunities for young children to develop skills with reading, numbers, and creativity, and most disagreed that digital devices are damaging to children's' learning. In interview, parents described how tech gives them and their children easy access to fun resources that capture their child's attention, to find information, to enjoy creative activities (e.g., drawing and painting apps) and to stimulate physical activity (e.g., dancing to songs, music and movement apps and programmes). Many children blend digital with non-digital activity (e.g., singing along with songs and nursery rhymes played on a Smart Speaker). In many households, tech is integrated in 0-3s' playful lives as just another play artefact, such as drawing with pencils on paper while the TV is on or a Smart Speaker plays music, which they sometimes attend to.

11. PARENT CONFIDENCE WITH TECH.
Most parents feel confident they can support their child's digital device use, know how to keep their child safe when using tech and know where to access support and advice about child digital usage. Parents of older children in the 0-3-year age range were more confident than parents of younger children. Parents who spoke English and another language, and parents who spoke another language only at home reported less confidence than those who spoke English only. Some parents describe their own tech skills as basic, while others are more accomplished Most parents are confident they know what their child accesses via tech, and many trust recommended age appropriacy guidance on popular media sites and apps but have less confidence in managing their child's tech use in future. Not all parents set parental controls on all digital devices at home.

12. PARENTS BALANCE CONCERNS ABOUT TECH WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR CHILDREN TO USE TECH.
Most parents view tech as an inevitable component of their young child's present and future life yet were concerned about its potential harm for their child's well-being and development. Most parents grow anxious when their child 'spends too long on digital devices' and are concerned that excessive use of tech will negatively impact the amount of time their child spends socialising with others. Most parents worry their child might access inappropriate content online. However, parents value the opportunities offered by digital media and rationalise their child's tech use by weighing up pros and cons.

13. EARLY EDUCATION and CARE PRACTITIONERS' VIEWS.
To gain broader insights into beliefs and practices around 0-3s' tech use, we interviewed 20 professionals working in the early childhood sector (5 in each UK nation). Many recognised the benefits of tech for learning, and appreciated how children's interests can be explored more easily and vivaciously with technology than through traditional printed resources. Some valued how the multiple visual and auditory modes offered by tech helps them connect with children in the early stages of learning English. Some practitioners have negative views about how parents overuse tech, and believe this trend contributes to some children's behavioural and communication challenges. Most recognised that discourses around excessive 'screentime' are reductive and tend to blame parents, which in turn feeds parental anxiety.
Exploitation Route The project outcomes are many and varied. The research evidences that further research is needed to continue to build
knowledge and understanding in this field, and to keep abreast of social and technological changes in young children's lives both at home and in early care and education. The knowledge generated through this study and through future work should be used to raise awareness of the presence of tech in very young children's lives, and as a basis to inform policy development and practice guidance. We suggest that a nationwide endeavour is needed to enable the youngest children in our society to thrive in their fast-changing home environments that are increasingly permeated by digital media.

Members of the research team are currently developing a follow-on bid for further funding to extend the findings and the outcomes of this project, this time focussing on impact for ECEC practice and policy. The research team continue to develop outputs directed at these sectors as well as the digital industry, alongside writing a strategically agreed raft of academic papers, each led by a different team member, including ECRs.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy

Creative Economy

Education
URL https://www.mmu.ac.uk/about-us/faculties/health-and-education/research/projects/tech-and-talk
 
Description This project ended 5th December 2024, so impact activities are ongoing, with many active impact pathways in development. Below, we report key outcomes and impact to date and indicate areas for future work. ACADEMIC IMPACT: A range of academic impacts have been achieved, with many more ongoing. To date, we have made significant contributions towards maintaining the highest standards of social and economic research by helping to shift understandings and to build knowledge about the topic under investigation in the TTT project, as well as advancing scientific method, theory and application across and within disciplines, particularly in the fields of education, psychology, applied linguistics, social care and childhood studies. Some of these are detailed in other sections of this submission. Further impacts include, for example, three academic papers have been submitted and are in review: 1) 'The rights of very young children in the digital environment of the family home: findings from a UK survey of children 0-36 months and their parents' submitted to Children and Society; 2) '0-3-year-old children's digital language and literacy practices at home: A review of the literature' submitted to Journal of Early Childhood Literacy ; 3) 'Parental Mediation of Very Young Children's Experiences with Digital Media at Home' submitted to Educational Review. Eight further academic papers have been agreed between team members and are in differing stages of development. Five invited keynote talks have been delivered at national and international conferences, in the UK and overseas, as detailed in the ResearchFish section 'Awards and recognition'. These keynote talks have all been exceptionally well received and have led to the growth of the project team's networks. These in turn have resulted in numerous invitations to write and co-write academic papers and/or book chapters, to act as consultant in three further bids for funding for research in related fields, and invitations to contribute blog articles to the EU Literacy Policy Network (ELINET, see https://elinet.pro/ ), and other professional organisations. Presentations and posters at national and international conferences include: 1) BERA Annual Conference Manchester, TTT Project Symposium 12th September 2024 (Flewitt, El Gemayel, Goodall, Winter, Liu); 2) EECERA Annual International Conference, Brighton September 2024 (Conference paper1 = Arnott and Dalziell); 3) EECERA Annual International Conference, Brighton September 2024 (Conference paper2 = Gillen and Savadova); 4) Conference paper at 13th European Conference for Social Work Research, Vilius, Lithuania (17th - 19th April 2024) (Winter and Liu); 5) Conference paper at e-LADDA International Conference, Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto (18th to 21st October 2023) (Gillen); 6) Conference paper at EECERA Annual International Conference, Lisbon, Portugal September 2023 (Flewitt, El Gemayel and Gillen); 7) Poster at EECERA Annual International Conference, Lisbon, Portugal September 2023 (Flewitt, El Gemayel and Gillen); 8) BERA Annual Conference Birmingham 12th - 14th September 2023 (Goodall, Winter, Timmins, El Gemayel); 9) Conference paper at UKLA Annual International Conference, Exeter, 23rd - 25th June 2023 (Flewitt and Gillen); 10) Conference paper at WISERD Annual Conference, Bangor University 28th - 29th June 2023 (Goodall); 11) Conference paper at EECERA Annual International Conference, Glasgow August 2022 (Flewitt, Gillen and Mevawalla). Invited seminars in universities across UK and overseas to date include: 1) Sheffield Hallam University 5th March 2025; 2) Cambridge University Faculty of Education 25th February 2025; 3) Oxford University Department of Education LiFt project seminar 20th June 2024; 4) ESRI, MMU Research Groups Event 24th April 2024. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACT: Economic and social impacts of benefit to individuals, organisations and nations are ongoing. To date, these include keynote talks to third sector organisation conferences, liaison with early childhood care, education and child protection sectors, as well as digital software producers as well as initiatives to develop national policy. Examples of activity in this field include: BENEFIT TO ORGANISATIONS: Invited keynote presentation to National Literacy Trust Annual Conference, London (24th March 2024). A key impact here was changing mindsets about young children's use of digital technologies, with attendees moving from deficit views about child technology use and criticism of parents towards more constructive attitudes, towards technology, parents and children. Follow-up exchanges have been rich, with many recognising the need to offer support to parents and ECEC practitioners about child technology use. A blog published by ELINET has had wide reach internationally across diverse child health and education sectors. BENEFIT TO POLICY: Recommendations have been made to policymakers regarding very young children's tech use, with six key recommendations to be enacted in future policy development. Team members are in close and ongoing conversation with Education Scotland and DfE Wales, where our research is feeding into the development of education policy and practice guidance regarding digital technology use in early childhood care and education. Similar overtures have been made to DfE England and N. Ireland, with less success to date. Team members have also been in close liaison with and now form part of the Action Group for Digital Standards in the Early Years. We have delivered talks to the action group members who represent members of diverse organisations and early years media outlets, including, amongst many others, DFE Team for Early Years Safeguarding, Health and Wellbeing, Nursery World, Kindred Squared, Royal Foundation for Prince and Princess of Wales, Education Endowment Foundation Early Years Lead, Islington Head of EY and Childcare Standards. Additionally, a letter from the Action Group for Digital Standards in the Early Years was sent to DfE September 2024, and a reply received from Stephen Morgan MP, Minister for Early Education. Talks on this continue with DfE. Attendance was high at the end of project conference held in London end October 2024 (as reported elsewhere in this submission) from a number of third sector and national government policymaking organisations, as well as research funding bodies and local authority professionals from across the four UK nations. BENEFIT TO INDIVIDUALS: Throughout the project we have worked closely with parents and legal guardians of children aged 0-36 months, as well as a smaller number of Early childhood care and education professionals, including local authority advisors, childminders, and ECEC practitioners in a range of public and private childcare facilities. Through our interviews with 40 parents/legal guardians and through our in-depth case studies with 40 families living in diverse socio-economic circumstances and from diverse ethnic communities, we have brought benefits to individuals and their wider families by offering spaces for individuals to reflect about their own and their very young children's digital technology use. Each participating case study and interview family has reported to us rich rewards from being involved in this research, emphasising how much they appreciated being part of the TTT study, primarily because it offered them a space to pause and reflect on their child's tech use at home, and on their own beliefs, attitudes and concerns about tech in their child's life. Additionally, each participating family received an electronic and/or printed book about their involvement in the study, which parents have deeply appreciated and which they continue to share with their children and wider families. Similar views were expressed by the 20 early care and education professionals who we interviewed about their work with children in this very young age range. All participants have appreciated the opportunity offered by the research to voice their views, and to exchange with us their thoughts on tech in their children's present and future lives. These invaluable exchanges are now informing the development of guidance for parents and practitioners, for example, in the Toddlers, Tech and Talk Summary Report which has been sent to all participants who expressed an interest in receiving this report.
First Year Of Impact 2022
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Other
Impact Types Cultural

Societal

Policy & public services
 
Description AI and literacies seminar leading to influence on postgraduate researchers across disciplines
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact This talk resulted in invitations to talk to trainee social workers at Lancaster University, and discussion about contributing to a new Masters degree programme at Lancaster University School of Global Affairs.
 
Description Development of Policy Recommendations for children under 3 in the UK and digital technology
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health
 
Description Impact on training of postgraduate researchers
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact The major impact of these activities is to change mindsets fairly radically about young children's digital media use, moving away from deficit views about children's tech use and about parents who use tech with their children, towards an appreciation of the extent to which diverse technologies, both with and without screens, are woven into the fabric of everyday contemporary family life and can be beneficial for children's learning and enjoyment when used purposefully, creatively and in moderation as part of a broad balance of everyday activities.
 
Description Influence on postgraduate training
Geographic Reach Multiple continents/international 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact The change cited here has brought about changes in the way that postgraduate students think about links between AI (Artificial Intelligence), language and literacies and everyday practices at home, including the language and literacy practices of the very youngest members of society, that is, children from birth to age 36 months.
URL https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/study/international-...
 
Description Keynote talk to Early Years in Mind conference, 13th March 2025
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Our aim in delivering this talk to Early Years professionals is to present rich empirical evidence about how parents of 0-3-year-old children support their very young children's learning with digital media, in fun and creative ways that help to nurture young children's agency, physical, social and emotional development, relationships and cognition.
URL https://www.annafreud.org/training/courses/early-years-in-mind-conference-creating-connections/
 
Description Presentation at ESRC Festival of Social Science Event in Chester, 7 November 2024
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact In-person attendees commented that this session had made them think about how they are modelling behaviours to their children. Further impacts are not yet known.
 
Description Professional Doctorate Training at Swansea University
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Many of the students on the Swansea University Professional Doctorate in Education programme are school based practitioners, and found this study reporting on the home environment and very young children very interesting for their doctoral studies and their own empirical work as well as for their professional and personal lives.
 
Description Toddlers, Tech and Talk: Summary Report
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
 
Title Development of qualitative Research Methods Palette 
Description Phase 3 of this study involved case studies in the homes of diverse families across the UK, including those living with disadvantage as well as more affluent families. For these case studies, we developed and implemented a 'Research Methods Palette' which was anchored in the project team members' ethical commitment to conducting research in ways that respect families' preferences about how they might take part in qualitative research. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2024 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact The Research Methods Palette arose from our ethical commitment to creating flexible, inclusive and responsive approaches to researching the little-explored phenomenon of very young children's digital lives at home across diverse majority and minority communities in the four UK nations. More specifically, we sought to learn how parents' and children's digital practices at home may be shaping the language, literacy and broader communicative practices of babies, infants and toddlers. The Palette enabled us to stay true to our committed aim to develop a critically reflective participatory approach to research co-design that was accessible to busy parents, responsive to the diversity of families' ways of being, and respectful of the knowledge and creativity of people who are often excluded from research and from decisions about research processes. We are currently writing up the development of this instrument as an academic paper for submission to an international qualitative research methods journal. 
 
Title Survey about very young children's digital device use at home across diverse majority and minority communities across the UK 
Description The aim of the survey, which was published online in Qualtrics but could equally be used as a formal interview or printed questionnaire, was to ask parents and legal guardians of children aged 0-36 months across diverse communities in the UK about: their household internet connectivity; types of digital devices owned in the household and more specifically owned by 0-36-month-olds; children's and adults' digital media use at home; how families support children's early learning and play with digital technologies; adults' attitudes, confidence, and concerns about their very young children's use of technology; and how confident parents feel to manage their very young children's digital safety and security; and demographic information. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2024 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact The online survey was fundamentally significant to the findings of the TTT study, and its outcomes were used to inform and shape Phases 2 and 3 of the study. The survey findings feature in the project summary report, which was made available in open access early November 2024, and key findings have been written up in detail in a journal article which is currently under review for publication in the journal Children and Society. Future impacts will be reported once the article is published and available in open access for the wider research community. 
 
Title The development of a new scale to measure parental attitudes, concerns and confidence about their very young children using digital technology 
Description The team developed new bespoke measures regarding parental/legal guardian (hereafter 'parent') attitudes and parental confidence and anxiety about very young children's access to and use of digital devices. Bespoke attitudinal measures were subsequently developed and piloted, focusing on: 1. Parent attitudes towards digital technologies and devices (health and wellbeing); 2. Parent attitudes towards digital technologies and devices (learning); 3. Parent confidence using digital technologies and devices; and 4. Parent anxiety around the use of digital devices. The resultant new scale is currently being written up as an academic journal article in order to contribute to quantitative research methods. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2023 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact The scale had a significant impact on the findings and insights from the TTT Phase 1 online questionnaire. Future impacts will be reported once the article is published and available in open access for the wider research community. 
 
Description End of TTT project conference with workshops (London) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact This was a 1-day in-person event held in Friends House, Euston, where we shared headline findings from the Toddlers, Tech and Talk study about the digital lives, talk and literacy learning of very young children at home across the UK. Presentations were made by the PI, Co-Is and research assistants and associates, interspersed with workshops to promote attendees' deeper engagement with the findings and their implications across diverse sectors including parents, parent organisations, early care and education practitioners and organisations, policymakers, and for the development of national and international legislation and safeguarding practice and policy regarding digital safety and security for children. Attendees from practice, policy, third sector and academic sectors were present from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, along with some parents of very young children and one parent-to-be.
This event has led to multiple follow-on meetings with attendees and colleagues in their respective organisations, with requests for more information and invitations for team members to speak at third sector, education and parent conferences and seminars. These subsequent meetings have begun to lead to changes in practice across diverse sectors.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Feature article in online journal in Wales 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Citing from the project Summary Report, which is available in Open Access and which we promoted across diverse media outlets, this feature reports on new insights from the study into the extent to which toddlers have access to digital technology at home, how they use it and how it helps their language development. The feature mentions that the study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://nation.cymru/news/groundbreaking-study-reveals-how-children-under-three-use-technology/
 
Description International online journal feature 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This feature reports that the TTT study offers the first in-depth report about tech in the home lives of children from birth to 36 months, and was led by MMU with Lancaster University, Swansea University, Queen's University Belfast and the University of Strathclyde. It discusses diverse aspects of the key findings, including how official statistics and discussions in society often assume that very young children don't use digital media, but this research shows that this is not the case. The feature suggests these findings offer much needed insights into very young children's interactions with a range of digital technology at home.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://hispanicbusinesstv.com/report-explores-how-children-under-three-use-technology/
 
Description Live Radio 4 interview with the PI (Flewitt) on Woman's Hour 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This live broadcast interview on Woman's Hour, which has an estimated audience of around 4 million listeners, gave highly valuable airtime for us to report key findings and implications from the study. In addition to an established audience of older listeners, including many men, the target audience for Woman's Hour is also young, highly educated females who are aware of the world around them, and are keen to learn and act.
NB The TTT feature was the last in this broadcast and begins at 48:45 on the link below.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024fms
 
Description News feature in The Guardian 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This article was published as a feature piece in The Guardian, a major broadsheet and online newspaper with a reach of over 1 million readers. The article reports on the release of the project report in open access and draws home sin on debates about how under-threes should not have any screen time at all, yet this research has found that digital tech can offer "rich opportunities" for young children's development. The feature goes on to report the study's key findings and provides links to the project's web pages and outputs.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/05/digital-tech-rich-opportunities-child-development-st...
 
Description Online journal feature in Phys.org 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This feature entitled 'Toddlers, tech and talk: Report explores how children under three use technology' reports on key findings from the TTT study and emphasises the importance of this research, referring to it as 'a major study' into the crucial area of the extent to which children under 3 years old have access to digital technology in the home, how they use it and how it supports their language development. The feature also provides links to the project webpages and summary report.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://phys.org/news/2024-11-toddlers-tech-explores-children-technology.html#google_vignette
 
Description Online journal press release and short report about the TTT project 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This online feature was published in Italian with the title 'Technology in the first years of life is not as harmful as you might think, says a new study in England'. The feature outlines the Toddlers, Tech and Talk study and then focuses on positive aspects of the study's summary findings before concluding that all children need a broad balance of activities in their lives, and points to how parents can support their children's use of technology in fruitful and enjoyable ways that promote child learning.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.fanpage.it/wamily/la-tecnologia-nei-primi-anni-di-vita-non-fa-cosi-male-come-si-pensa-a-...
 
Description Podcast for Parentzone 'Understanding 'good enough' parenting and toddlers' tech use' 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This podcast was audio-recorded 17 February 2025 for ParentZone, and first released online 05.03.2025. The podcast concentrates on how parents support their children's learning, including involving digital technology and emphasises the benefits of 'good enough' parenting, moving away from the notion of 'the perfect parent' and associated pressures and negative judgements about parents that are common in the UK. ParentZone was founded in 2008 'to make a difference', and has a varied audience including parents, ECEC professionals and policymakers, as well as wider members of the general public across the UK. To date, this recording has also been referred to in other ParentZone podcasts, prior to its full release. It is early days to gauge impact.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2025
URL https://www.buzzsprout.com/1739115/episodes/16697211
 
Description Project Webpage 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This project webpage was created to provide outline information for a diverse audience about the project. It is regularly updated with links to a wide range of outputs, and will continue to be resourced with future outputs and guidance for parents, education and care professional practice, policymakers, media, third sector organisations and the wider general public. Downloads of reports and project outputs already exceed 3,000, with a steady monthly rate for ongoing downloads.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.mmu.ac.uk/about-us/faculties/health-and-education/research/projects/tech-and-talk
 
Description Radio Interview 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This radio interview lasted approx 17 minutes and was broadcast multiple times on North Manchester FM, reaching an audience of an estimated 30,000+ listeners each time it was broadcast. The interview focussed on the issues behind the Toddlers, Tech and Talk study, its main aims, and during the interview we promoted the Phase 1 survey. The interview aimed to encourage listeners with children aged 0-36 months to complete the survey, and for parents and wider audiences to think about the potential of digital technologies to promote children's fun and creativity in learning with technology.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.mixcloud.com/normanfm1066/toddlers-tech-talk/
 
Description Workshops with parents of very young children 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact 20 parents of very young children attended workshops about very young children's use of digital technologies, shared their views, asked many questions about this phenomenon and reported changes to their mindsets on this topic that was of direct relevance to their lives.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024