The Nursery is committed to ensuring safe internet use for all its users. This policy is to ensure a set of safe and responsible behaviours in relation to internet safety within both the Nursery and the wider home environments of the children. Children in the early years are now more digitally savvy than ever before. Their use of digital devices is now commonplace and research shows that they are moving away from watching TV and opting for video-on-demand content to watch cartoons, mini movies and songs.
According to an Ofcom report apps such as ‘YouTube Kids’ is a destination of choice for 72% of children aged 3 to 4 years old. Our aim is to keep the children safe whilst making the most of what the internet has to offer.
Benefits and challenges of screen use
Screen use can have a number of benefits for children in the early years but also comes with some challenges which staff, parents and carers should be aware of. There are both positive and negative developmental outcomes to consider.
The benefits of screen use include:
- Opportunities to promote creativity and learning
- Language development
- Improvement of numeracy and literacy skills
- Greater understanding of the world
- Development of digital skills
The challenges of screen use include:
- The impact on children’s ability to control their emotions
- Displacement of activities that promote social interactions vital for development
- Risk of exposure to inappropriate content