Unpaid digital care work

Unmasking the parental mediation practices of contemporary mothers

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6443558
AutoresFae Heaselgrave (0000-0002-6819-0109, University of South Australia, autor de correspondencia)
Año2023
Volumen27
Número1
Páginas281-296
Fecha de publicación2023-06-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14614448231174420
OpenAlexW4379208847
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas30

As primary carers of children, mothers provide a central role in mediating and negotiating children’s digital media use in the home. In parental mediation research, this work is often reported with a gender-neutral tone, implying both parents play an equal role. This study challenges this bias by unmasking the mediation practices and experiences of mothers. Qualitative interviews revealed mediation is bound by maternal desires to protect, guide and educate children in their media use. The intensity of this care role, often conducted in parallel with other unpaid and paid work, also leads mothers to deploy self-satisfying strategies that facilitate repose. The study illustrates how the gendered role and experience of mothering influences the mediation strategies mothers’ use and argues for broader recognition of these nuanced practices in parental mediation research. It also discusses the implications and impact of parental mediation on the unpaid digital care work of mothers

Developmental psychology · Mediation · Negotiation · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Work (physics · Child Development and Digital Technology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology