Families and Technology

Description

This timely reference takes a rigorous look at the myriad ways technology, from smartphones to dating apps to social media, is affecting family life and opening new areas for study. The book features cross-disciplinary perspectives on current trends in the role of technology in couple and family contexts. It focuses on the roles of parents in monitoring children’s screen time, of technology in relationship formation, and of technology in changing family dynamics. Nuanced coverage considers the emerging conflicts and paradoxes associated with digital family life—closeness versus isolation, children versus parents as experts, and privacy versus surveillance. Contributors also identify new research opportunities as family roles and structures continue to evolve and technology becomes a greater lens for family studies. Among the topics covered: How parents manage young children’s mobile media use. Adolescents as the family technology innovators. Online dating: changing intimacy one swipe at a time. Technology in relational systems: roles, rules, and boundaries. Television “effects” on international family change. Interplay between families and technology: future investigations. Families and Technology is a valuable resource for researchers and students in the fields of family studies, sociology, marriage and family therapy, social welfare, public health, and psychology. The book also appeals to policymakers and human services personnel dedicated to better understanding the impact of rapidly spreading technologies on families around the globe. Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 How Parents Manage Young Children’s Mobile Media Use (Amy I. Nathanson)....Pages 3-22 Adolescents as the Family Technology Innovators (Jodi Dworkin)....Pages 23-36 Families and Technologies in an Era of Migration (Lynn Schofield Clark)....Pages 37-53 Front Matter ....Pages 55-55 Online Dating: Changing Intimacy One Swipe at a Time? (Pepper Schwartz, Nicholas Velotta)....Pages 57-88 Technology in Relational Systems: Roles, Rules, and Boundaries (Katherine M. Hertlein)....Pages 89-102 Are Tinder and Dating Apps Changing Dating and Mating in the USA? (Michael Rosenfeld)....Pages 103-117 Front Matter ....Pages 119-119 Television “Effects” on International Family Change (Rukmalie Jayakody)....Pages 121-137 Did Mobile Phones Increase Adult Children’s Maternal Contact? (Judith Treas, Zoya Gubernskaya)....Pages 139-153 Reducing Risk for Mental Health Conditions Associated with Social Media Use: Encouraging “REAL” Communication (Brian A. Primack, Ariel Shensa, Jaime E. Sidani, Nicholas Bowman, Jennifer Knight, Sabrina A. Karim et al.)....Pages 155-176 Interplay Between Families and Technology: Future Investigations (Xiaoran Sun, Cassie McMillan)....Pages 177-187 Back Matter ....Pages 189-192