A teachers’ perspective on technologies impacting on socialisation levels of children with imaginary friends

Abstract

Current research thought on children with imaginary friends has demonstrated that these children possess socialisation problems, are typically the eldest or only children, commonly lose their imaginary friends by the time they reach the age of 7 and create these imaginary friends to fill a void or gap in a relationship with their primary caregiver or peers. This study aimed to gain a deep insight into the teachers’ experiences of children with imaginary friends, their socialisation problems and if technology plays a role in these socialisation problems. Qualitative research was carried out with 4 primary school teachers describing their experiences with semi-structured interviews. Quotes from the transcripts were categorised and 8 themes along with sub-themes were developed using thematic analysis. The implications of these themes highlighted that interactive play should be encouraged while excessive technology use should be minimised.