The association between family digital rules and the development of emotion comprehension in preschool children

Context and relevance. The pervasive engagement of modern preschoolers with the digital environment calls for a nuanced understanding of how family practices mediate its impact on child development. Objective. Moving beyond simplistic measures of screen time, this study analyzes the relationship between child-reported parental digital mediation and the annual growth in emotion comprehension during the preschool years. Hypothesis. Child-reported parental digital mediation (i.e., time limits, content restrictions, and rules governing the conditions of digital activity) serves as a significant predictor of the annual increase in emotion comprehension in preschoolers. Methods and materials. The sample included 1512 children (M = 5,7 years; SD = 4,11 months) assessed at the first time point in senior kindergarten groups, with a follow-up assessment of 1339 children (M = 6,6 years; SD = 4,5 months) one year later in preparatory groups. At both stages, children's emotion comprehension was assessed. Children also reported on family digital rules (time limits, content restrictions, and rules-conditions), while parents reported on their child's screen time. Results. No significant associations were found between any type of digital rule and the gain in emotion comprehension. This pattern was identical for boys and girls, despite boys demonstrating significantly higher screen time. Screen time itself also did not predict growth in emotion comprehension. Conclusions. The mere presence of digital rules, even when reported by the child, does not predict emotional development in preschool age. From the perspective of cultural-historical psychology, a formal rule not accompanied by emotional interaction with an adult is not internalized and remains an external constraint. The study highlights the need to shift the research focus from the existence of rules to the quality of their internalization within joint adult-child activity.

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