The impact of technologies on early childhood leisure

In recent years, a great increase in the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) during early childhood leisure time has been noted. In this context, it is necessary to pay attention to the role of families in order to regulate their use, becoming the main responsible for guiding children to prevent their risks and benefit from their potential. This project aims to recognize the impact of ICT in leisure activities during 3-6 years old children's free time in a town of Cantabria. According to this aim, an ad hoc questionnaire is used to collect the information provided by 149 families selected through a non-probabilistic sampling of an incidental type. The results show that activities which use the technological support are configured as a fundamental pillar of children's leisure time, being enjoyment and recreational learning the main purposes considered by families when exposing their children to ICT. The conclusions point to the need of making parents aware of their importance as modelers of the technological use developed by their children, providing them with some keys to undertake this task effectively.