Abstract:

The current study examines the digital parenting experiences of parents in Turkey during the pandemic. 1346 parents with children aged 3-6 from 81 provinces participated in the research. Data were collected with the Digital Parenting Questionnaire and the Digital Play Parental Guidance Strategies Scale. Data were analyzed through percentages, frequencies, and factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings indicated that parents talk to their children about digital citizenship and are careful to set the right example when using digital media. They took precautions against online risks by monitoring the websites and applications their children visit and using paid and free software that provides filtering. In another finding, the most frequently used sources of information by parents were listed as websites with safety information, social media tools, family and friends, their child's school, and scientific resources. Results showed that parents mostly use active mediation strategies, sometimes prefer technical restrictions, rarely use encouraging and permissive parental mediation strategies. In addition, the study found out that the average daily screen usage time of children aged 3–6 was 235 minutes. It was determined that digital parenting scores differed significantly according to education level and place of residence.

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