The data are both quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data consists of survey outcomes from an online survey of 2000 parents of 0-5 year-olds who have access to a tablet. Parents were asked questions about children's access to, and use of, tablets and apps. Responses were also sought on how apps were chosen and parental concerns about in-app purchasing and advertising were explored. Raw SPSS data, in addition to tables outlining the project's statistical analysis, are available. Case studies of six children aged from birth to five were also conducted. Qualitative data from the case studies include transcripts from interviews with parents and children. In addition, 'Play and creativity tours' were conducted with children. Family members produced maps of their homes and children and parents used these to reflect on children's play, both digital and non-digital. Photographs of children's toys, playthings and tablets were taken by both the researcher and children and parents. Video data from the family case studies and observations in schools, and the audio files from the case study interviews, are available with restricted access due to the personal information they contain. This was a co-produced study, developed in collaboration between academics in the Universities of Sheffield and Edinburgh, the BBC (CBeebies), Monteney Primary School and the children’s media companies Dubit and Foundling Bird. The project was co-produced in that all project partners contributed to the development of the project aims and objectives and were involved in data collection, analysis and dissemination. The project aimed to address a gap in knowledge with regard to preschool children's (aged from birth to five) use of tablet apps. The aims of the study were to examine pre-school children’s use of apps and identify how far tablet apps for pre-school children promote play and creativity. The objectives were: 1. To collect information about UK preschool children's access to and use of tablet apps in the home. 2. To identify the most popular tablet apps for pre-school children and develop an understanding of the extent to which these promote play and creativity. 3. To identify the factors that currently inform parents’/ caregivers’ choices of tablet apps for this age group. 4. To examine the impact of tablet apps (including augmented reality apps) on the play and creativity of pre-school children. 5. To identify the affordances of tablet apps that are particularly successful in promoting young children’s play and creativity in order to inform: (i) future app development by the children’s media industry and (ii) the future choices of apps for young children by parents/ caregivers and early years educators. 6. To increase dialogue and promote knowledge exchange between academics, children's media industry, parents/ caregivers and early years educators with regard to pre-school children’s use of apps. The study had four Phases. In Phase One, an online survey of 2000 parents of 0-5 year-olds who had access to tablets was conducted. In Phase Two, observations and interviews were undertaken with children and parents in six families. In Phase Three, twelve children aged 3-5 were filmed using the apps that had been identified in Phase One as the top ten favourite apps in order to examine how far they promoted play and creativity. In Phase Four, an analysis of the apps was undertaken in order to identify what features supported play and creativity and which limited them.

Survey Parents and carers who are part of an established panel drawn upon by one of the project media industry partners, Dubit, were invited to take part. In order to register as a panel member, panel members complete a registering questionnaire and set up an account name and password. This questionnaire enables Dubit to select a sample appropriate for each of the studies they undertake. Panel members are recruited using a range of strategies, including websites, and invitations to parents of children attending nurseries and schools. Panel members receive a small incentive for completing surveys. The sample in this study included parents and carers of 0-5 year olds who had access to tablets. The randomised, stratified sample was constructed to ensure that parents and carers across all regions of the UK participated and to ensure it was representative in relation to national patterns with regard to socio-economic status. Dubit also ensured that the sample was ethnically diverse and that it included parents of under 3s in addition to 3-5 year olds. Parents were emailed an invited to complete the survey by clicking on an Internet link. Of those invited to participate who qualified for inclusion, the participation rate was 89%. Case Studies A pool of households interested in taking part in Phase 2 was populated in order to recruit six families for Phase 2 of the study.The sample was varied in terms of: (i) socio-economic class (ii) age and gender of child (iii) ethnicity in order that the six families’ profiles could be broadly in line with the main user groups identified in the survey. In addition, the sample included both only children and those who lived with siblings. Only four of the families were eventually recruited from this panel. Other families that agreed to participate dropped out at an early stage for various reasons. The team therefore recruited two additional families, one through the contacts of a local nursery and one through contacts from a member of the team. Both of these families completed the survey after joining the project. Five to six visits were made to the first five families to be recruited over a period of three months; the final family was visited on four occasions due to their holiday plans. During these visits (lasting up to 2 hours each), parents/ caregivers participated in interviews in which they responded to questions about the provision of tablet apps for their preschool children. A schedule was set up for the case study visits which guided their content but the researcher was responsive to each of the families’ contexts. All the families were asked to complete a hard copy of the survey questions, which provided basic data about the children’s tablet use, and then they were asked a set of questions about play, creativity and the downloading of apps. In addition, a play and creativity tour was undertaken of each house, with a map drawn of the house, accompanied by commentary on children’s spaces and places for play and creativity (and tablet use) within it. If families did not wish the researcher to tour the house, they helped her to draw a map of the house through descriptions, or drew it themselves. Photographs were taken of children’s toys and playthings (both digital and non-digital.) This exercise enabled the research team to identify the extent of play and creativity in children’s home lives in general in order to determine the place of the use of tablets in these activities. Children were asked about the apps they used and were video recorded using them by a researcher. The researcher also took photographs where appropriate. Parents were invited to video record and photograph their children using apps and then discuss these videos and images with the researcher. In addition, the two children aged 3 and above were invited to use a ‘Go Pro’ chestcam in order to record their own use of tablet apps. This is a camera that is strapped to the child’s chest and allows the recording of action as the child moves and interacts with other people and objects, including tablets. Observations of children in school In this part of the study, researchers used a sample of apps that were preloaded onto two tablets for twelve children aged 3-5 in Foundation Stages 1 and 2 in Monteney Primary School, Sheffield. The apps used were those identified as the top six pre-school children’s apps used by 3-5 year-olds in Phase 1 of the project, in addition to six augmented reality apps identified by the research team as suitable for this age group. All children in Foundation Stage classes 1 and 2 were invited to participate in the research. Twelve families responded to the invitation.The video recording took place on ten separate days over a period of 3 months. On four of the occasions, two researchers were present and on the other six days, a single researcher recorded the children. The apps were introduced to children and then children were recorded using the apps and related artefacts. The materials and equipment were set up in rooms near to classrooms. The children were recorded using apps sometimes chosen by themselves but at times they were directed to specific apps by the researchers. The children used the apps individually in the main. The camera was focused on the child’s interaction with the screen.