AI and Apps in Early Childhood: The Role of the Family

This research is part of a project that aims to map datafication and platformization in the early years of life. Analyzing the educational quality and privacy protection of apps for children was considered fundamental for the project. Children are constantly exposed to technology, especially when using digital applications (Rocha and Nunes, 2020). Some scholars have focused on the problem of data extraction and monetization, with the pervasive use of applications even in the domestic sphere (Barassi, 2020; Pangrazio and Mavoa, 2023). According to several studies, parents' digital exposure and decisions on children's digital footprint are crucial (Jibb et al., 2022; Pimienta et al., 2023; Raffaghelli, 2022). The research follows a postpositivist approach (Petter and Gallivan, 2004), which is useful for understanding phenomena through data collection, categorization, and analysis. Data were collected on 30 apps, and the applications were evaluated according to different categories using a systematic database. Data analysis was based on quantitative processing through descriptive and inferential statistics. Empirical validation was carried out using inter-rater agreement, and a reliability analysis was introduced in the results. The results highlighted some critical issues regarding the use of technological consumption within families and a disparity between the evaluations of the apps carried out by the general population and those carried out by expert educators. The research highlights the need for parents to be more vigilant when choosing apps for their children, considering learning value, clarity of information, security and ethical use of data.