The Use of New Digital Technologies by Intellectually Disabled Children in the Opinion of Their Parents

Abstract

The article presents the results of research conducted among parents of mildly intellectually disabled children. Their aim was to describe the knowledge of parents about the digital activities of their children and to characterise the activities of parents around children's use of new digital technologies. The research was carried out using the diagnostic survey method. 1295 people were involved. The research found statistically significant relationships between the frequency of using new media by parents and the frequency of using them by children. It was found that the parents first allowed their children to use computer games independently (the average age of initiation of use was 11 years), and then to use a mobile phone (the average age of initiation of use was 11 years and a half years). Then they introduced the child to the online world (the average age of initiation was 12). Additionally, statistically significant differences were found between working and non-working parents in terms of the principles of using new media applied at home. Almost 1/3 of the respondents reported Internet abuse by the child, every tenth parent pointed to the child's online contact with materials inadequate to his age, and every twentieth parent informed about the need to settle payments for applications or programs downloaded by the child from the Internet.