jet.14.3.13855 Children in Front of Screens: Alone or in Company? Desktop or Hybrid Computer? Children's Viewing and Browsing Habit Gila Cohen Zilka Journal of Educational Technology 2230-7125 14 3 1 14 10.26634/jet.14.3.13855 Low Socio-economic Status, Digital Divide, Internet, Hybrid Computer, Children, Viewing Habits, Browsing Habits, Needs The viewing and browsing habits of Israeli children age 8-12 are the subject of this study. The participants did not have a computer at home and were given either a desktop or hybrid computer for home use. Television viewing and internet surfing habits were described, examining whether the children did so with their parents, family members, and friends. For this mixed-measure study, (n=1,248) participants across Israel were assessed in two rounds. During the second round, 128 interviews were conducted with the children. Findings revealed the children were afraid of being criticized for their choice of programmes, the characters they admire, and the sites they browse, and this fear causes them to avoid dialogue, joint viewing, and browsing with others. Findings show that, the sharing habits adopted by children who had no computer in the home and were provided with one were affected not only by the new computer itself, but also by the manner of interaction with their parents and by the television viewing habits they had acquired before the computer reached the home. It was recommended that criticism and judgment be reduced, and be replaced with an existential discussion with the children, and to formulate together ways to create clear boundaries without punishment, empathizing the children's free will and finding activities that meet their need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. October - December 2017 Copyright © 2017 i-manager publications. All rights reserved. i-manager Publications http://www.imanagerpublications.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=13855