Young children's thinking about touchscreens versus other media in the US

Although children's use of touchscreen devices has rapidly expanded, how young children conceive of these devices is relatively unknown. Here, we examined young children's recognition, attribution of functions, and preference for using touchscreens as opposed to other devices. Forty-three preschoolers answered questions regarding six devices; for comparison, a group of 16 adults was also tested. Children recognized the devices as well as adults, but attributed fewer functions to touchscreen devices than did adults. However, compared to other media, children attributed more and different functions to touchscreens. Interestingly, children did not uniformly prefer touchscreen devices, but chose selectively for different tasks. The results show surprising differences from adult users as well as a developing understanding among young children regarding media tools.