AdoDigitFamX · Adolescents, Parents and Digital Media: Looking for the pattern that dis/connects

Adolescents, Parents and Digital Media: Looking for the pattern that dis/connects

Scientific research and much public opinion are either enthusiastic and supportive or pessimistic and condemning for great harm and risks afforded by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Previous studies have showed that ICTs provide new possibilities for self-expression and personal experimentation, but also new risks and harm, that become particularly important in adolescence. Adolescence is indeed a time of high-level use of digital devices (smartphones, social networks), which often becomes the trigger of family disputes and conflicts. Adolescence is also an intense time of re-organizations in family relations when the family system must find a new balance to adapt to children’s changes. This happens through collective reorganizations (microtransitions) that can either enable or limit the development of adolescents’ competencies and autonomy. Also, parents face new challenges in regulating their practices with respect to digital media and children’s control and protection, and ask for support. More empirical evidences are needed to overcome opportunities/risks dichotomies, and provide more effective solutions to the problem. This research adopted a transdisciplinary framework of social/developmental psychology and media and communication studies to examine how ICTs are changing interpersonal relations within the families. This has been done through the development and application of innovative methods based on Digital Ethnography (DE) and First-Person Perspective (FPP). Two research questions guided our project: (1) What is the impact of communication through digital media on family interactions and child development during adolescence? (2) How can we gather and analyse data on the mediating role of digital devices in real life situations? Starting from these questions, we have defined three research goals: (a) To capture the actual use of digital devices, i.e. all the technologies adolescents use to create, maintain, and transform communication in different situations of their everyday life. (b) To better understand the role of digital devices in parent-child interaction, by understanding the mutually shaping processes of ICTs, human development and family communication. (c) To clarify the opportunities and risks of ICTs in family communication and child development, documenting the good/bad practices (strategies, parenting styles) thereby providing parents, practitioners and stakeholders with operational advice.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union