Video Chat: A Tool for Young Children’s Engagement and Early Social Learning

This chapter explores the unique advantages and limitations of video chat for young children. We argue that the screen time debate has at times lacked nuance and that video chat represents an opportunity for young children to engage with and learn from their loved ones when physically separated. We also discuss limitations of video chat, such as perceptual and conceptual challenges faced by young children while engaging with this technology, including unique challenges in terms of eye contact and technological disruptions. Finally, we discuss how today’s families have dynamically created solutions and adaptations to these challenges—all centered on harnessing the unique power of social relationships on both sides of the screen, enabling families to leverage this technology to support and sustain high-quality social relationships, even at a distance.