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Socioeconomic disparities in Swiss children’s use of digital technology: A typological approach based on parental reports

Leo Röhlke

Published 2025 in Journal of Children and Media

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT For decades, higher parental socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked to less screen time among children. However, the spread of mobile devices and digital learning tools may be altering the relationship between parental SES and children’s technology use, as parents reassess the potentials of children’s use of ICT (information and communication technologies) for acquiring skills and knowledge. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of cultural reproduction, this study examines how parental SES relates to ICT use in middle childhood (ages 7–10). By applying latent class analysis to parental survey data from Switzerland (n = 2,490), four distinct ICT use types were identified: ‘heavy users’, ‘moderate entertainment users’, ‘educational explorers’, and ‘non-users’. Higher parental SES was associated with both limited (non-users) and education-centered ICT use (educational explorers), while lower SES was linked to more intensive, entertainment-oriented use (heavy users). The findings underscore how socioeconomic disparities extend beyond children’s screen time to include qualitative differences in ICT use. Among higher-SES families, a divide emerges between those limiting ICT use and ICT-resourceful families leveraging technology to transmit cultural capital, reflecting traditional and evolving class-specific attitudes towards ICT. The typological approach uncovered the heterogeneity of parental responses to the ambiguities of ICT across the socioeconomic spectrum. Impact Summary Prior State of Knowledge Children’s screen time is negatively related to parental socioeconomic status. Mobile technologies and the integration of ICT in schools have greatly increased opportunities for learning-oriented ICT use in recent years. This development may alter socioeconomic disparities in children’s ICT use. Novel Contributions This study identified four distinct types of Swiss children’s ICT use. Overall, higher socioeconomic status was associated with less intensive ICT use. Children whose parents are both socioeconomically advantaged and ICT-resourceful were most likely to use ICT in learning-oriented ways. Practical Implications Educators need to consider children’s diverse experiences with ICT when integrating ICT in the classroom. To address early digital inequalities, practical interventions could help disadvantaged children to integrate playful and explorative digital learning into their usual ICT use habits.

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