The purpose of this study was to explore mothers' perceptions of guidance, difficulties, and needs
for support on their toddlers' smart device usage. 17 mothers of toddlers, who were attending
two-year-old classrooms in childcare centers in Seoul, were invited to participate in this study, and
in-depth interviews were conducted as a research method. The results of this study were as follows:
First, the mothers gave both active guidance (positive and restrictive ways) and passive guidance to
their toddlers when the toddlers were using smart devices. Second, the mothers' perceived difficulties
for guiding their toddlers' smart device usage were the lack of guidelines on smart device usage for
parents, the mothers' and the fathers' failure to self-control on using smart devices, and the
permissive social atmosphere on using smart devices. Third, in terms of needs for support, the
mothers longed for more practical parent-education programs, social and national support and
attention, and corporate awareness of social responsibility. The finding of this research could
contribute to the development of concrete guidelines and parent-education programs, and to deriving
a base for parental support on the usage of smart devices in early childhood.