Parenting pedagogies in the marketing of children’s apps

The market for children’s apps aimed at pre-school aged children is expanding in the context of the schoolification and marketisation of very young children’s education and development. When subject to critical analysis, the download pages pertaining to these apps reveal the dominant discourse to be one of ‘pedagogical responsibilisation’, for parents who seek to optimise their children’s educational opportunities. A neoliberal market-driven rationale frames the parenting role, encouraging investment in extracurricular activities for children. Thus, good parenting becomes analogous with the use of early learning educational apps.