Dear children, before we begin our journey through this book, I would like to introduce you to two very special people in my life. They are my daughters, Aruuke and Aibiyke.

They are seven and eight years old. Both of them enjoy making origami. Sometimes, using coloured pencils, scissors, and paper, they build their own little world of technology. They create beautiful paper smartphones, laptops, and tablets with colourful buttons.

Whenever I see the things my daughters create, I realise that their play reflects the increasingly digital world around them.

Perhaps you enjoy playing in a similar way. Maybe you like exploring new applications, playing computer games, watching videos, or asking questions about technology. But have you ever wondered how to use information technology correctly and how it can benefit your life and education?

If so, then this book was written for you.

🌍 A World Unlike Any Before

Dear Aruuke, Aibiyke, and all the children reading this book, I would like to remind you that you are growing up in a digital age that is very different from the childhoods of your parents.

Today, digital technology is present in almost every part of our lives, is it not?

• Parents communicate through smartphones.
• Teachers use computers to deliver their lessons.
• People pay for buses and purchases in shops using QR codes.
• Hospitals store patients’ information digitally.
• Banks manage money through computer systems.
• Schools use electronic diaries and online learning platforms.

In other words, it is difficult to imagine modern life without digital technology, is it not?

📱 A Story from My Own Home

Technology is used every day in our family.

Aruuke and Aibiyke check their homework through electronic school diaries. Their teachers share educational songs, lesson videos, learning materials, and many other useful resources with them.

Digital tools have become as ordinary in school life as pens and notebooks.

However, as a mother living in this digital age, I have faced several challenges that many parents around the world will understand. To be honest, I have two main concerns.

Challenge 1: Finding Friends for My Daughters

My own childhood was completely different. Whenever I had free time, I immediately ran outside to play with my friends. We played together, talked for hours, climbed trees, played ball games, and made dolls from paper or reeds. We would stay outside until it became dark and return home only reluctantly because we still wanted to keep playing.

When I think about it now, I realise that many useful habits and skills were developing naturally through those experiences:

• ☀️ spending time in the sunshine and fresh air;
• 🏃 keeping our bodies active;
• 🤝 developing friendship, communication, and relationship-building skills.

Today, my daughters also need that kind of childhood. They too want to go outside and play happily with friends for as long as possible.

We mainly live in Bishkek. Unfortunately, there are very few children of their age living on our street.

Aruuke and Aibiyke do not attend school at weekends, during the summer holidays, or on public holidays. At such times, it can be very difficult to find friends for them to play with.

As a mother, I want them to spend more time outdoors, breathe fresh air, move their bodies, benefit from the sunshine, and create happy childhood memories. My husband and I try our best to prevent them from spending the whole day staring at a phone.

What about you? Do you often play outside with your friends, or has your phone become your closest companion?

Challenge 2: Finding Balance in Life

My second concern is time.

Like many parents, both my husband and I work. It is not always possible for us to spend the whole day together with our daughters.

When I need to complete important responsibilities for work or study, I sometimes have to allow Aruuke and Aibiyke to use digital devices.

I usually encourage them to use educational applications, language-learning programs, creative activities, and useful videos.

However, when I am not able to supervise them, they sometimes watch random and meaningless videos on YouTube that teach them nothing useful. This concerns me deeply. At such moments, I often feel guilty.

It is difficult for me to balance everything in life perfectly. Like other parents, I want my daughters to grow up thoughtful, educated, and healthy. I worry that meaningless videos may fill their minds and shape their understanding of the world with unnecessary or misleading information.

Some people may wonder, “Why does she not simply spend all her time playing with and teaching her children?” The truth is that, like many other parents, my husband and I are fully responsible for providing food, clothing, education, and all the other necessities of life. We do not own even a small business that could provide us with a stable income, so we must work hard while also trying to give our children the attention, guidance, and love they need.

For this reason, my concern is not about technology itself, but about how children use it and what kind of content they encounter. Aruuke, Aibiyke, and all the children reading this book, I do not want you to think that phones or technology are bad.

On the contrary, I want to show that when people of all ages use technology, including smartphones, for the right purposes, it can become an excellent assistant, a free teacher, a library, a guide, and a tool that opens the door to new opportunities.

🤔 Let Us Think Together

Before continuing our journey into the digital world, let us pause for a moment and look around us.

How many digital devices can you see right now?

• ☐ Smartphone
• ☐ Tablet
• ☐ Laptop or computer
• ☐ Smart television
• ☐ Smartwatch
• ☐ QR payment system
• ☐ Other: ___________________

Now think carefully:

• What do the words “digital technology” and “digital world” mean to you?
• Which digital technologies do you use most often?
• Which of them help you learn new things?
• Which ones do you sometimes think you should use less?
• Are we controlling technology, or is technology controlling us?

There are no completely right or wrong answers here.

The aim is to observe.

I believe that observation is the first step towards understanding.

⏰ The Story of Two Children

Let us imagine two children.

The first child spends twenty minutes learning new English words through a special application.

Every day, the child practises with the application, repeats the words, and learns something new.

The second child spends twenty minutes watching random videos on YouTube.

The videos look interesting and colourful.

However, one hour later, the child cannot remember what they watched.

Both children used technology.

Both children spent the same amount of time.

But did those twenty minutes provide the same benefit to both of them?

You can share your thoughts through this link.

👩‍🏫 Why Did I Write This Book?

First, I am a mother.

Second, I am a professional working in the field of education.

Third, I am a postgraduate student studying artificial intelligence and computer science.

These three parts of my life often make me think deeply about how I can teach modern technology to my daughters in the right way.

I am also interested in learning about the work being carried out by specialists in this field.

For this reason, this book is built around one important question:

“How can children use technology safely, wisely, and responsibly?”

🚀 What Awaits Readers in the Next Topic?

Children, behind every smartphone, website, game, video, and artificial intelligence tool, there is a hidden language.

It is a language made up of only two symbols.

By the end of the next section, you will discover what this language is and why it forms the foundation of the entire digital world.

Now, let us continue our digital journey in the next section...