Formation of parents' media literacy as a psychological and pedagogical condition for the prevention of digital autism

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issues of developing parents' media literacy. Media literacy is not a new concept and has been studied sufficiently in science. Accordingly, the concept of media literacy is defined by both domestic and foreign scientists. In the article, we consider the problem of media literacy from the point of view of its relationship with the current problem of developing digital autism in children. In the age of digital technologies, when both adults and children are immersed in digital screens, problems arise that we can call digital. Practical psychologists declare the development of digital autism in children. Digital autism is a form of autism with symptoms of classic autism, which develops in a child at the age of three, due to excessive interaction with digital gadgets and screens. We considered the essence and importance of parental media literacy in the prevention of digital autism in children. The article presents the results of a survey of parents on the topic of their attitude to children's excessive passion for digital devices. In this survey, we identified the age at which children begin to use digital screens, the motives for early interaction between children and gadgets, and what is useful and harmful from the parents' point of view about digital screens and gadgets. Based on the results of the study, possible ways of developing parents' media literacy, tools and technologies were proposed to increase the level of knowledge about the harm and benefit of digital screens, their impact on the psyche of children.