FULL REFERENCE: Davis, T. (2025). Exploring educator and parent perceptions of the impact of digital technologies on young children’s physical literacies. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 27, pp. 31-42.
ABSTRACT: Digital technologies are increasingly present in early childhood settings, raising questions about their effects on young children’s physical literacy development. Physical literacy – encompassing physical competence, confidence, motivation, and understanding to engage in physical activity – is crucially developed in the early years. This article reports on a doctoral research project exploring how educators and parents perceive the impact of digital technology use on the physical literacies of children from birth to five years. A literature review highlights international and Australasian perspectives on digital technology integration in early childhood education and the concept of physical literacy in the early years, revealing a gap in research on stakeholder perceptions at this intersection. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory provide the theoretical framework, situating children’s technology experiences within layered environmental contexts and sociocultural interactions. A qualitative, interpretive case study with a phenomenological lens is proposed, using semi-structured interviews with educators and parents in an Australian kindergarten and a long day care centre. The article argues that understanding adult perceptions can support more intentional, balanced integration of digital technologies.
KEY WORDS: Digital technologies; physical literacy; teacher perceptions; parent perceptions.
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INTRODUCTION
In today’s early childhood environments, digital technologies such as tablets, smartphones, and smart toys are widely used, even by infants and toddlers (Chu et al., 2024). As screen time becomes a regular part of young children’s routines, concerns have been expressed about its impact on development—particularly physical literacy, which refers to the motivation, confidence, physical competence, and knowledge needed for lifelong engagement in physical activity (Whitehead, 2010). In early childhood education and care (ECEC), physical literacy and regular daily movement are linked to healthier body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as emerging cognitive benefits such as better executive function and self-regulation (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2019). ECEC is a vital time for developing motor skills and positive attitudes toward movement, laying foundations for lifelong physical activity (Robinson et al., 2015; WHO, 2019;). However, it is also when habits of screen use and sedentary behaviour can begin to form. Balancing digital engagement with physical play has therefore become a key issue in ECEC. In this paper, screen time refers to sedentary viewing, whereas interactive screen time denotes hands-on use of interactive digital play; where relevant, the researcher specifies movement-linked screen time for experiences that prompt gross-motor activity (American Academy of Paediatrics [AAP] Council on Communications and Media, 2016; WHO, 2019;).
