Parenting in the connected home
Chris Shepherd
Research Fellow, Department of Information Systems, University of Melbourne, VIC
Michael Arnold
Research Associate, Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society; Lecturer, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne, VIC
Martin Gibbs
Lecturer, Department of Information Systems, University of Melbourne, VIC
PP: 203
Abstract
New media technologies are a source of anxiety and concern for many parents. In this paper, we report on the parent-child relationships that surround children's use of the Internet, television, video, DVD, and electronic games.
We present three case-study vignettes drawn from an ongoing study of the contemporary Australian home as a node in dense local, regional, and global communication networks. Using these case studies, we identify and draw out some strategies and stances pursued by parents and children to manage their respective uses of new media technologies.
We conclude with a discussion of the issues and concerns that surround parenting and new media technologies, noting that use of, and access to, new media technologies are both a site of contested and ongoing negotiation for parents and children, and an occasion for the negotiation of the parent-child relationship.
This paper represents an extension and further exploration of issues addressed previously (Arnold, Shepherd, Gibbs & Mecoles 2006a, 2006b).
Keywords
domestic ICTs, intrafamily relationships, parenting
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