Young children and digital media in the intimacy of the home: perceptions and mediation

This chapter shows that the intimate relationship between parents and young children during a period when physical proximity is essential, in order to discuss the consequences of digital mediation. It presents national results of a cross-national study coordinated by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission, 'Young Children (0–8) and Digital Technologies', which followed a qualitative approach. The chapter discusses results relating to the digital practices of young children in the home, parental mediation style and family dynamics and intimacy. The concept of parental mediation, which originally referred to the television, describes the role played by parents as mediators of young children's engagement with communication media, shaping their children's practices and perceptions. M. Valcke and colleagues report that children of permissive parents are more tech-savvy and active online, while children of authoritarian parents show lower levels of digital literacy.