THE IMPORTANCE OF A SAFE DIGITAL-DEVELOPMENTAL ENVIRONMENT IN DEVELOPING COMPUTER LITERACY AMONG CHILDREN IN SCHOOL PREPARATORY GROUPS

Abstract

The increasing presence of digital technologies in early childhood has created new educational opportunities while simultaneously introducing challenges related to children's safety, well-being, privacy, attention, and development. For children in school preparatory groups, computer literacy should therefore be developed not only through access to digital devices but within a carefully designed digital-developmental environment that combines learning opportunities with protection, adult guidance, and developmentally appropriate limits. This article examines the pedagogical importance of a safe digital-developmental environment in developing computer literacy among children aged approximately 6–7 years. The study applies theoretical analysis, comparative synthesis, content analysis, and pedagogical modelling to recent research and international recommendations published between 2021 and 2025. The analysis identifies five interconnected dimensions of a safe digital-developmental environment: pedagogical-purposefulness, content and technical safety, digital well-being, adult mediation, and child-oriented digital responsibility. A methodological model is proposed in which safe access, guided exploration, purposeful interaction, creative digital activity, reflection, and responsible behavior are integrated into preschool computer-literacy development. The findings indicate that children's digital competence develops more sustainably when educational technologies are selected according to pedagogical objectives, adult mediation is continuous but non-controlling, privacy and online-safety principles are introduced through concrete situations, and digital activities remain balanced with movement, play, communication, books, art, and real-world exploration. The study concludes that a safe digital environment should not be interpreted as the complete elimination of digital risks but as a developmental system in which children gradually learn to benefit from digital opportunities while recognizing and managing age-appropriate risks.