Digital technology is now part of most young children’s lives. By age five, most children in Ireland are regular screen users. Yet early years educators are often expected to bring digital play into their settings with little training or clear guidance on what that should look like.

We interviewed ten experienced early childhood educators working in different settings across Ireland. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological framework, we explore how their beliefs, families, policy and resources shape what happens in practice.

Five themes came through:

• A strong belief in “natural” hands-on play as the foundation of early learning
• A cautious openness to digital tools when they are used thoughtfully and in balance
• Ethical questions and tensions around professional identity
• Assumptions about what parents want, often without open conversation
• Real uncertainty about policy, which educators described as vague and disconnected from practice

One finding stood out. Some educators who appeared to resist digital play were held back by resources rather than by belief. As one educator put it,

“If we had money to buy devices, of course we would use them.”

Aistear defines digital technology broadly with limited guidance on what meaningful digital play looks like. Educators are left to interpret it alone, which means children’s experiences depend on the setting they attend.

We call for clear, practical policy guidance, sustained professional development and fair investment in resources. Educators need support so that digital play can sit alongside traditional play rather than compete with it.

A sincere thank you to the educators who gave their time and shared their experiences so openly.