Introduction
Screen-based technology use has grown significantly among children over the last few years which has cast doubt on the relationship between digital technology use and social and emotional development in early childhood. Although screens may offer educational opportunities and entertainment activities, the possible effects of screens, in terms of their influence on social functioning of children, have been raised. Specifically, empathy and social preferences of individuals can affect the ways in which and reasons why children use screen-based activities.
Empathy as the skill of perceiving and reacting to the feelings of other people is one of the most important aspects in the social growth of children and their interactions with peers. There are greater levels of empathy, children with higher empathy levels tend to exhibit prosocial behaviours and better social engagement. Social preferences, in contrast, might lower children levels of motivation to participate in face-to-face interactions, which might make them more addicted to solitary or screen-based a