The changing Face of Children's Play Culture: Children's play, learning and communication in a technology driven world

The way in which children and young people use different media has been changing for many years in step with the development of new interactive products, and today, interactive media are an integral part of children’s everyday lives in large areas of the industrialised world. This development has occurred quickly, and we know relatively little about its importance to children’s play, culture and learning. At first glance, it seems that we are observing a new form of childhood that in many ways fundamentally differs from the one children had just a generation ago. This is not surprising as we live in a world where changes are everyday events – not only as regards technology, but also in the context of social and cultural changes which effect children’s daily lives.

Although many articles and books are published on the subject of children and digital media, little empirical research has been done on this subject. There is very little research into children’s use of the Internet – other than quantitative studies – and almost no research has been conducted into the use of mobile phones and ‘intelligent toys’ by children. Most of the empirical research to date are studies of the amount of time children spend using interactive media, and studies of the influence of violent video games and other interactive media on children’s social behaviour. (Wartella, Lee & Caplovitz, 2002). The lack of research is even more noticeable when it comes to children’s play culture and associated learning, and only a negligible amount of research is based on the child’s perspective.

In this study, we have attempted to look beyond the assumption that children use new digital media because they are taken in by the marketing of smart new gadgets and the promise of fashion and status, and we have tried to base our understanding on a belief that children start to use new media because they suit their current play environments better than traditional toys. That is not to say that fashion and status have no role to play for children. They do, but behind this lie other, equally important dimensions that can contribute to an understanding of the importance of the media in children’s lives. In this regard, we chose to focus on the “child’s perspective”, in an attempt to view the use of the media in the light of what is important for children in their daily lives and why children start to use new media.