Technology-facilitated interaction in the parent–child relationship

This chapter examines the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in shaping parent–child relationships across the life course. Drawing on a review of sociological and interdisciplinary literature, complemented by qualitative interviews conducted in Italy and Australia, it explores joint media engagement and ICT-mediated communication as forms of interaction, care and relational maintenance. The analysis shows that digital technologies can strengthen intergenerational connectedness, facilitate emotional support and enable transnational care practices. At the same time, they may generate tensions concerning parental mediation, privacy, autonomy, digital inequalities and the risk of distraction. By considering childhood, adolescence, adulthood and later life, the chapter highlights how technology contributes to the transformation of intergenerational relations and the negotiation of family roles in contemporary digital societies.