Emergent digital literacy in Chinese preschoolers: developmental patterns and associated predicators

This study examined the emergence of digital literacy in early childhood among 2272 parents with at least one child under age six in central China. Findings revealed that: (1) there was a significant age difference in early digital literacy, with television literacy emerging first, followed by touchscreen, artificial intelligence, and personal computer literacy. Gender differences were only observed in television literacy; (2) the home location, home income, home digital resource (HDR), and parent’s age significantly correlated with young children’s general emergent digital literacy, while family structure, parent’s education, and occupation had significant correlations with some specific emergent digital literacy; HDR played a mediation role in the relationship between the home context factors and preschoolers’ emergent digital literacy. (3) age of the child, family structure, home income, and HDR significantly contributed to predicting preschoolers’emergent digital literacy. Implications for policy-making and parental education are also addressed.