Young Children’s Tablet Computer Play - Introduction - Tablet Use or Tablet Play?

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper

Young children’s tablet computer play is examined through human-science research that connects play, young children, and tablet computers. The author reviews scholarly literature and identifies four major themes: digital literacy, learning, transgressive and creative play, and parental involvement. Findings emphasize that tablet play depends on more than technology, including sociocultural conditions, and calls for closer attention to creative affordances, agency, and access in future research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Tablet Use or Tablet Play?

Young Children’s Tablet Computer Play • Thomas Enemark Lundtofte The author reviews the research and scholarly literature about young children’s play with tablet computers and identifies four major topics relevant to the subject—digital literacy, learning, transgressive and creative play, and parental involvement. He finds that young children’s tablet computer play relies not only on technology, but also on sociocultural conditions. He argues that research should pay greater attention to transgressive play and should in general treat play as an autotelic concept because the nuances of play areas important as its function. He calls attention to the lack of affordances for creativity in apps for young children, explores the need for parental involvement in young children’s tablet computer play, and discusses the importance of agency and access in such play. Key words: digital media; iPad; tablet computer; play and young children Introduction I aim to make clear what we know about young children’s play with tablet computers by considering research from the human sciences that mentions play, young children, and tablet computers (or similar terms). This leads me to a number of questions, some of which have also been treated in the research—questions about the kind of play possible with a tablet computer and about what we even mean by “tablet computer play.” To provide a framework for these questions, I discuss play theory as well as theories on technological affordances and how this aspect of children’s play with technology corresponds with what we know about the nature of play in general. Defining play is famously difficult and, as Brian Sutton-Smith (1997) argued, definitions usually turn out ambiguous at best. My theoretical perspective relies on a cultural understanding of play, which, in the words of the Danish 216 American Journal of Play, Volume 12, Number 2 © The Strong [Contact Thomas Enemark Lundtofte at thomas@sdu.dk](Contact Thomas Enemark Lundtofte at thomas@sdu.dk) play theoretician Flemming Mouritsen (1996), does not reject formal learning as part of the play discourse, but views it as a side effect of play. After all, it could be argued, in reference to John Dewey (1971), that children are always learning—as are adults. Mouritsen argues that children’s culture is play culture, based on what has been termed the “autotelic” nature of play, which, Miguel Sicart (2014) defines as “an activity with its own goals and purposes”(14). Following this perspective brings the emic (from within the social group, eds.) nuances of young children’s play culture to light, because the meaningful is defined by those who play. I start with some reflections on the concept of digital play as well as tablet computers and their affordances for play by young children. Then I present the methodological considerations behind my thinking before I move on to the four perspectives I identify in the literature I review. Finally, I offer some reflections about how we may approach the field of young children’s tablet computer play in future research. Tablet Use or Tablet Play? Before I discuss the themes in the literature, we should first explore whether—and how—we can talk about young children’s tablet computer use as digital play. To approach this question, we must visit the field of play theory to understand the ideological frameworks ofthe different types of research we are considering. I also need to offer some remarks about studying tablet computers in this context. As objects of play, tablets take on many different forms due to their richness in affordances as computers and mobile devices. I present the approaches taken in the research that deals with this particular technology, and thus offers a broad, many-facetted image of how young children (and some adults) view tablets as toys. Even though these discussions do not exhaust the topic, they do provide a telling take on how different stakeholders in young children’s

FAQs

What four topics does the author identify as central to young children’s tablet computer play?

The author identifies digital literacy, learning, transgressive and creative play, and parental involvement.

How does the author define play in relation to learning?

The author draws on cultural and play theory perspectives that treat formal learning as a side effect of play, emphasizing the autotelic nature of play.

Why is parental involvement important in the context of tablet play?

Parental access to tablets shapes how children view the devices, producing variations in perceptions of what tablets are and should be.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper