At the Dawn of Social Media in the Home
A Retrospective on Parenting, Gender, and Children's Digital Lives in Iran
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19227803 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elaheh Shabani Afarani (0000-0002-7976-9159, University of Isfahan, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Mobile Media & Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2050-1579 • E-ISSN: 2050-1587 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/20501579261454447 |
| OpenAlex | W7163045292 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
This qualitative study explores the initial integration of smartphones and social media within Iranian families during a period of rapid adoption (2015–2016). Using a grounded theory approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 parents and children aged 15–20 years in Isfahan, Iran. The analysis revealed that the mobile phone functions as a central site for the negotiation of freedom and constraint, giving rise to four core themes. Findings showed a clash between parental views of the phone as a utilitarian “Tool in Hand” and children's use of it as a “Mirror in Front” for identity expression. The study also details the tension between parental “Eyes That Watch” and youths’ desire for “Wings That Fly,” as well as the conflict between traditional family values of “Home” and personal aspirations for a wider “Horizon.” Finally, the theme of “Veil and Voice” illustrates how deeply rooted gendered expectations reinforce patriarchal norms, even as girls find strategic avenues for self-expression. This research offers crucial baseline insights into the domestication of mobile technology in a traditional non-Western context, illuminating how families were compelled to renegotiate established moral and cultural frameworks in response to the disruptive arrival of smartphones
Grounded theory · Identity (music) · Mobile phone · Negotiation · Period (music) · Qualitative research · Social media · Theme (computing) · Child Development and Digital Technology · ICT in Developing Communities · Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Reclaiming "Normal Life"
Parenting for a Digital Future
Young and Defiant in Tehran
Parental Mediation of Children's Internet Use
The digital native – myth and reality
Information and communication technologies and the moral economy of the household
Perpetual Contact
Parental mediation in the age of mobile technology
Technoference”
Re-domesticating social media when it becomes disruptive
Iranian women, e-learning, and experience of motherhood in the age of Covid-19
Family Surveillance
Woman, Life, Freedom
The Social Affordances of the Internet for Networked Individualism
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 2
Institutional Ecology, `Translations' and Boundary Objects
Domestication outside of the domestic
Familial digital mediation as a gendered issue between parents
From Motherhood to Equal Rights Advocates
Migration potential from Iran
Patriarchy and the Politics of Gender in Modernising Societies
Addressing Technological Change
| Highly cited | No |
|---|