It is important to be a role model and guide for the child in the process of acquiring the rules and behaviors that should be followed in order to protect from the risks during the use of technology and not to create risks for others. In this context, as a result of the research conducted with preschool teachers who are the guides and role models of children, it was seen that their understanding of digital ethics was based on protection from the harms of technology, correct use, and the application of moral and ethical rules to the digital environment. It was stated that precautions such as restricting posts about children and controlling the channels they share were taken. They stated that they wanted to receive training on digital ethics to improve themselves, guide and protect children, and that they obtained information various resources. They stated that they shared with children, families, and colleagues on issues such as safe internet and digital citizenship and emphasized that teachers and parents should also be trained for digital ethics education to be given to children.
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Reports based on worldwide data show that 67% of the population uses mobile phones and the number of internet users will reach 4.95 billion in early 2022 (Digital Report, 2022). This rapid growth has a profound impact on children's lives in particular (Bergen, Davis, & Abbitt, 2015; Louv, 2020). Many children are growing up in environments with wide access to different digital tools as part of their daily lives. The use of digital tools such as smartphones, tablets, and computers at home, in schools, and in social spaces is increasing rapidly, and young children use these tools especially for play and entertainment (Arnott & Yelland, 2020; Rideout & Robb, 2020). Recent research shows that access to and use of digital technology by children aged 0-8 is increasing (Ofcom, 2022; Rideout and Robb, 2020). The increase in the use of digital technology has been the subject of debate due to its impact on children's development, and the advantages and disadvantages of its use have been evaluated in various studies.
Technology use also brings online risks. As the time and frequency of children spending time with technology increases, the rate of exposure to risk factors also increases. Although exposure to online risks is directly proportional to technology use, it is a complex process. Because interacting with technology can increase the opportunities to develop strategies to cope with these risks (Livingstone, Mascheroni, & Staksrud, 2015). From a child rights perspective, what is more important than the number and variety of digital devices, platforms and services available to children are the consequences of using these technologies (Gasser & Cortesi, 2017).
In an age of technology that is developing at an incredible pace, parents, teachers, technology producers and policy makers have a great deal of duties and responsibilities to ensure that children's interactions with digital tools are beneficial and of high quality. For example, the concept of digital parenting has emerged to define the responsibilities of parents. Digital parenting includes tasks such as the parent's knowledge of the child's digital rights, protecting the child from online risks, and directing the child to digital literacy trainings to know and protect their own rights. The concept of digital ethics, which appears in the processes related to the protection of their own and others' information and rights in digital environments, deals with issues such as the effects of digital tools on society and the environment, and ethical issues in digital environments. It evaluates issues such as privacy, information overload, addiction, digital divide, surveillance, robotics from an intercultural perspective (Capurro, 2010).