Impact of Digital Toys on Preschool Children's Development

The impact of digital toys on the development of preschool children.

Modern life cannot be imagined without the Internet and digital technologies. As a result, the age threshold for children to get acquainted with gadgets decreases. According to statistics, more than 90% of children from 3 to 14 years old have personal computers at home, and 80% of children use the Internet daily.

Some parents, in pursuit of technological innovations, believe that digital toys should completely replace traditional ones. There is a danger when adults shift their parental functions to digital toys, believing that when using digital toys, their child s development will occur automatically, and adult intervention is not required in this case. And this approach has its negative consequences.

It is worth noting that the comprehensive development of the child s personality involves not only the development of cognitive functions, but also affects other areas. For example, the development of the emotional sphere, the formation of moral principles and the upbringing of socially useful qualities such as: empathy, willingness to help, caring for others, etc.

Such development is impossible without the active participation of adults in the child s life, including in the field that is associated with gaming activities. There is a need to consider the classification of digital toys, and find out the possible risks of their use.

Classification of digital toys. Interactive in a story-role-playing game Smart- they are able to keep up a conversation, recognize the interlocutor. Interaction with such toys is aimed at the development and education of the child. Plug- in toys are the most complex type of digital toys, which, due to various technological solutions. They allow you to analyze previous interactions and adapt the content to the user. 1) The level of technological complexity; 2) the subjectivity of the toy (toy agency) or, in other words, the degree of its autonomy; 3) possible ways of interacting with the toy

Smart Assistants An approach to classifying digital toys based on their purpose. Thus, there are: digital toys designed for entertainment digital and smart, which are able to demonstrate more complex behavior, able to maintain communication and respond to people s emotions. .They act as a friend who participates in all the processes of the child s daily routine. For example, the Smart Bear from the Russian startup Mishka AI. This is a plush gadget with updated content and functionality for children 3-5 years old.

Educational They play the role of electronic tutors, which increase the effectiveness of learning: In many ways, they allow you to replace the child s hike with educational activities, since parents do not always have time for this. There is a popular Osmo reading preparation game in the USA. As an analogue for Russia Neurogram . Educational and interactive They are aimed at improving creative abilities. For example, Lego s Vidiyo, a tool for creating music videos for children: traditional cube figures combined with augmented reality technologies offer children not just to consume content, but to create it themselves.

Research directions of the modern game. 1) studying the features of gaming activities using various technologies (gadgets, digital toys, computer programs and applications); Children s interaction with various types of computer programs and applications. The goal is to determine the educational potential of such technologies. Studies the originality of children s play with traditional toys and their digital counterparts (P. Kana) 2) Comparative studies of playing with digital and traditional toys; 3) the influence of the frequency and nature of a child s interaction with gadgets on the development of cognitive processes. Studies the impact of interaction with gadgets on the level of cognitive development of preschoolers. The focus is on screen time, the genre of digital content consumed and their relationship to the level of development.

Common positions: When children comply with the recommended standards of screen time, there is a positive effect of interaction with digital content on children s perception and cognitive functions. When screen time is abused, there is a negative impact:increased levels of aggression, decreased sleep quality, decreased ability to hold attention, decreased quality of traditional gaming activities, decreased vocabulary and difficulties in social interaction.

Risks: One of the obvious risks of excessive digital activity of a child may be the development of Internet addiction to a gadget or from communicating with a smart toy. This dependence manifests itself in a lack of interest in the real world and a preference for the virtual world. It is important not to allow the child to prefer toy interactivity to everything else: walks, ordinary toys, live communication with loved ones.

Digital toys for early preschool children should be used very carefully. The available evidence suggests that the main elements of interactive toys (for example, light and sounds coming from a toy) distract from facial expressions, gestures, intonation, which negatively affects the social development and interaction of the baby.

Another type of risk is the issue of personal data security. This data can be stored in a digital toy and include name, age, place of residence and many other confidential information. Malicious leakage of this information threatens the safety of the child.

General requirements for digital toys. Age-specific compliance Accessibility and simplicity. The toy should be educational and interesting for the child. To encourage active actions and encourage independence. Be safe from the point of view of materials and not have sharp inclusions that can injure the child. A special requirement is placed on the theme and content of the toy. Any toy should promote the child s development, encourage him to take positive actions and reflect a good meaning.

Toys displaying instruments of violence, cruelty, and weapons stimulate aggressive, destructive behavior, and traumatize the child s psyche. Such toys are unacceptable, as they form distorted representations of the world around children and undermine the humane foundations of the emerging personality.

Conclusions: Digital toys have a positive impact on children s development, but at the same time they are not a substitute for traditional classic toys. A preschooler s interaction with digital toys should take place under adult supervision.

Parents should limit screen time and monitor the subject and content of digital toys and games, observe the reaction of the preschooler and take part in the game with their children. This will contribute to reducing risks and harmonious development of the child s personality.

Thank you for your attention.