The Relationship Between Urban Family Smart Media Use and Parent-Child Interaction: A Case Study of Fifth-Grade Students from Primary Schools in Beijing

Jingying E

The National University of Malaysia, Negeri Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract

With the widespread use of smart media, particularly smartphones and tablets, in family life, these devices have become an essential tool for daily interaction in urban Chinese households. This study aims to explore the impact of smart media use on the parent-child interaction in urban families. The study surveyed 100 families of fifth-grade students from four public primary schools in Fangshan District, Beijing, using a mixed-methods approach that included both a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The results indicate a significant negative correlation between the frequency of smart media use and the quality of parent-child communication, meaning that the longer family members use smart media, the poorer the quality of communication. However, the study also found that joint participation in smart media activities, such as watching educational videos or playing interactive games together, can promote emotional connections within the family and improve parent-child relationships. The study provides theoretical support for enhancing digital literacy in family education and offers policy recommendations for the rational use of smart media.

Keywords:Smart Media; Parent-Child Interaction; Family Education; Digital Literacy; Media Use

1.Introduction

The proliferation of smart media, particularly smartphones, tablets, and other digital devices, has had a profound impact on the fabric of contemporary family life, especially within urban contexts. In Chinese households, these technologies have rapidly become central tools for daily communication, information exchange, entertainment, and even education. With their widespread adoption, smart media has fundamentally altered not only the way families interact but also how children engage with their parents, peers, and the broader social world. In this digital age, the family unit, traditionally the primary site for children's socialization, faces both new opportunities and challenges arising from the integration of digital technologies into everyday life.

Smart media offers numerous advantages in fostering family communication. For example, it enables real-time communication over long distances, provides access to educational content, and facilitates shared activities such as watching videos, playing games, and participating in virtual learning experiences. However, the extensive use of smart media also introduces potential drawbacks. Excessive engagement with these devices can contribute to family members becoming more absorbed in their individual screens, which, in turn, may lead to diminished face-to-face interactions. Research has suggested that this overuse can cause estrangement between parents and children, disrupting the quality of parent-child relationships. In particular, children's reliance on digital devices for social interaction may hinder their emotional development and diminish their ability to form meaningful interpersonal connections outside the digital realm.

In recent years, a growing body of research has examined the complex and sometimes contradictory relationship between smart media use and family dynamics. Studies have shown that while smart media can promote convenience and enrich family experiences, it can also lead to challenges such as decreased emotional closeness, diminished communication quality, and the erosion of traditional family roles. The dynamics of parent-child interactions, which are crucial for children's emotional and psychological development, may thus be subject to new influences. Given the increasing importance of digital literacy in the modern world, understanding how smart media affects family life has become a significant concern for both scholars and practitioners.

This study seeks to explore the effects of smart media use on parent-child interaction, particularly in the context of urban Chinese families. By focusing on families with fifth-grade students from public primary schools in Fangshan District, Beijing, this research aims to assess the impact of smart media on the frequency and quality of parent-child communication. Through a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, this study will investigate whether excessive smart media use correlates with poorer communication quality, as well as explore how joint activities such as watching educational videos or playing interactive games can potentially enhance emotional bonds and foster positive communication.

Furthermore, this study seeks to explore the concept of digital literacy within the family context, aiming to understand how parents' and children's ability to navigate and critically engage with digital content influences family dynamics. The concept of "family digital literacy" is essential, as it not only determines how families utilize technology for educational and recreational purposes but also shapes the role of parents in guiding their children in the responsible use of smart media.

In addressing these issues, this study will contribute to the growing body of research on family education and the role of technology in shaping parent-child relationships. Specifically, it will provide insights into the relationship between smart media use and communication quality, offering practical recommendations for families on how to balance the benefits and drawbacks of digital technologies. Furthermore, this research aims to inform policy recommendations that can support the rational use of smart media in family life, ultimately fostering a healthy digital environment that promotes the well-being and developmental needs of children. By examining the multifaceted impact of smart media, this study seeks to enrich our understanding of the complex interactions between technology, family dynamics, and child development in the digital age.

2.Literature Review

In recent years, the rapid proliferation of smart media has significantly influenced family dynamics and parent-child relationships, prompting a surge of research exploring its multifaceted effects. Existing literature reveals a dualistic impact of smart media on family interactions, offering both opportunities for enhanced communication and risks of social alienation. On the one hand, smart media has facilitated new forms of communication within families, particularly through innovative platforms that allow for asynchronous and real-time interaction. For instance, video calls, messaging apps, and interactive media provide ways for parents and children to stay connected despite physical distances (Anderson & Turner, 2019). These tools can enrich family relationships by creating additional opportunities for bonding and shared experiences, especially in an increasingly digitalized world.

However, the excessive use of smart media poses considerable risks to the quality of parent-child relationships. Studies indicate that prolonged and habitual reliance on devices such as smartphones and tablets can weaken face-to-face interactions, a cornerstone of meaningful familial bonds. Anderson and Turner (2019) argue that over-dependence on smart media diminishes the depth of emotional exchanges, often leading to a sense of estrangement among family members. This trend is exacerbated when individual screen time becomes a solitary activity, reducing opportunities for shared experiences and mutual understanding.

Conversely, other research highlights the potential of smart media to strengthen family relationships when used collaboratively. Engaging in joint activities, such as watching educational videos, playing interactive games, or exploring creative applications together, has been shown to enhance emotional connections and improve the quality of parent-child interaction. Fan and Yost (2019) observed that such shared media experiences not only foster a sense of teamwork and mutual engagement but also provide a platform for parents to guide their children in navigating digital content, promoting critical thinking and responsible media use. These findings underscore the importance of intentional and participatory smart media usage in leveraging its positive effects.

A critical factor influencing the impact of smart media on family relationships is the level of family digital literacy. Research consistently demonstrates that digital literacy plays a pivotal role in shaping how families use smart media and in mitigating its adverse effects on interpersonal dynamics. Families with higher levels of digital literacy are better equipped to use smart media as a tool for educational enrichment and emotional bonding. Ayun et al. (2022) emphasize that such families are more adept at setting boundaries, curating appropriate content, and fostering a balanced approach to media consumption. This ability not only enhances the quality of parent-child interactions but also ensures that technology serves as a facilitator of positive experiences rather than a source of conflict or disengagement.

Despite the growing body of literature on the effects of smart media, significant gaps remain. Most existing studies have focused on developed countries, leaving a critical void in understanding how smart media influences family dynamics in non-Western contexts, particularly in urban Chinese families. Moreover, the role of family digital literacy as a moderating factor in these interactions has not been extensively explored. This oversight is notable given the unique cultural, social, and technological dynamics that shape family relationships in China. For example, urban families in China often face unique challenges, such as the pressures of academic performance, dual-career parenting, and rapid urbanization, which may interact with smart media usage in distinct ways.

This study seeks to address these gaps by focusing on families in Beijing's Fangshan District, providing insights into the interplay between smart media use, family digital literacy, and parent-child relationships within an urban Chinese context. By employing a mixed-methods approach, this research aims to offer a nuanced understanding of how smart media can both challenge and enrich family dynamics, with implications for family education policies and digital literacy initiatives. Through this lens, the study contributes to the broader discourse on the role of technology in shaping modern family life.

3. Research Purpose and Significance

3.1 Research Purpose

The main goal of this study had been to explore the impact of smart media use on parent-child interaction in urban Chinese families, particularly in Beijing’s fifth-grade only-child families. By combining surveys and interviews, this study had aimed to analyze the role of smart media in family education and interaction, exploring how factors such as frequency, duration, and content of media use influenced the quality of communication and emotional connection between parents and children. The study had also sought to investigate the potential of smart media in promoting parent-child relationships and supporting children’s learning and development.

3.2 Research Significance

With the advent of the digital age, smart media had become an essential factor in family education that could not be ignored. Understanding how smart media affected parent-child interaction had been crucial for improving family education models and promoting healthy parent-child relationships. While some research had explored the negative effects of smart media, this study had aimed to supplement and extend existing literature by investigating its positive impact on parent-child communication and strengthening family education support. This not only helped fill the gap in existing research but also provided theoretical support and empirical evidence for family education practices.

4. Research Methods

4.1 Research Design

This study had adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative portion of the study had collected data on smart media usage and parent-child interaction quality through surveys of fifth-grade only-child families in four public primary schools in Fangshan District, Beijing. The qualitative portion had involved interviews and observations to understand parents' behavior patterns in family education and their attitudes toward smart media use. The combination of methods helped provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the impact of smart media use on parent-child relationships.

4.2 Data Collection

Data had been collected in the following steps:

Survey: A structured questionnaire had been designed to collect data on family members' media use habits (frequency, duration, content preferences) and parent-child interaction (communication quality, emotional connection, educational support, etc.).

Interviews: Semi-structured interviews had been conducted with parents to understand their attitudes toward smart media, usage rules, and the role of media in family education.

Observational Method: Observations of family members' interactions while using smart media had been conducted to assess the direct impact of smart media on parent-child relationships.

4.3 Data Analysis

Survey data had been analyzed using SPSS software, employing descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and other methods to analyze the relationship between smart media use frequency and parent-child communication quality. Interview and observation data had been analyzed thematically to explore parents’ attitudes toward smart media use and its impact on parent-child relationships.

Table 1 （Images in PDF version, to view please download this article）chart visually represents the average parent-child communication quality across different levels of media usage frequency, rated from 1 to 10, with 1 indicating minimal usage and 10 indicating high usage. The data reveals a noticeable decline in communication quality as media usage increases. Families with lower media usage frequencies (scores of 1-3) tend to report higher communication quality, suggesting that less frequent media use may promote more direct and meaningful interactions between parents and children. Conversely, at higher media usage frequencies (scores of 7-10), the communication quality decreases, indicating the potential negative impact of excessive media use on family interactions. This trend supports the hypothesis that over-reliance on digital media may undermine effective communication within families, which could affect emotional and social development. These findings emphasize the importance of mindful and balanced media consumption in families to maintain strong communication and foster healthier relationships.

Table 2 chart（Images in PDF version, to view please download this article）illustrates the relationship between joint media usage activities, such as watching educational videos or playing interactive games together, and the closeness of the parent-child relationship. The chart categorizes joint media usage into five levels, ranging from low (1) to high (5), showing how family participation in media-based activities influences the emotional connection between parents and children. The data reveals a clear trend: as the frequency of shared media activities increases, the parent-child relationship closeness also improves. Families that engage more frequently in these joint activities tend to have stronger emotional bonds, supporting the hypothesis that shared media experiences enhance interaction and foster deeper emotional connections. These findings highlight the value of encouraging families to participate in educational or recreational media activities together to strengthen relationships and improve family dynamics.

Table 3 chart （Images in PDF version, to view please download this article）above illustrates the relationship between parents' use of smart media for educational purposes and children's learning interest and academic performance. The data reveals a positive correlation, where higher usage of smart media by parents for educational activities appears to contribute to enhanced learning interest and academic performance in children.

As the frequency of parents' involvement with educational media increases, the average scores for both learning interest and academic performance also show an upward trend. Specifically, children whose parents more frequently engage with educational resources via smart media tend to have higher levels of learning interest and better academic outcomes. This suggests that active parental participation in the use of digital media for educational guidance can foster a more engaging and effective learning environment for children.

Table 4 chart（Images in PDF version, to view please download this article）demonstrates that as media usage increases, the quality of parent-child interaction, both in terms of learning support and emotional communication, tends to decrease. Specifically, with rising media usage, parents provide less learning support to their children, likely due to distractions or diminished face-to-face engagement. Likewise, emotional communication quality declines, suggesting that the time spent on digital media may reduce meaningful conversations and emotional bonding. These trends support the hypothesis that excessive media usage can undermine the effectiveness of parent-child interactions, particularly in educational and emotional contexts. To improve these interactions, families may need to strike a balance between media use and direct, personal communication.

5.Results and Discussion

This study explored the relationship between the use of smart media and parent-child interaction in urban Chinese families, specifically focusing on families of only children in fifth grade from four public primary schools in Fangshan District, Beijing. The research utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, and observational data, to investigate how smart media usage affects communication patterns and emotional bonding between parents and children.

The findings of this study highlight the complex and dual nature of smart media's impact on parent-child interaction. On the one hand, excessive reliance on smart media was associated with a reduction in the quality and quantity of face-to-face communication between parents and children. This was particularly evident in households where media use was poorly regulated, leading to diminished opportunities for meaningful interactions and emotional connection. Such patterns align with existing literature that suggests overuse of smart media can interfere with the development of key social skills, including verbal communication and emotional regulation (Sundqvist et al., 2021).

On the other hand, the study also revealed that when used purposefully and within a regulated framework, smart media could facilitate positive parent-child interactions. Joint activities such as co-viewing educational content, engaging in interactive learning games, or participating in online learning experiences were found to foster enhanced emotional bonds, promote collaborative learning, and improve the overall quality of communication between parents and children. These findings resonate with prior research suggesting that smart media, when integrated thoughtfully into family routines, can serve as an effective tool for educational support and family bonding (Benedetto & Ingrassia, 2020).

A key factor identified in this study was the role of media literacy in shaping the outcomes of smart media usage. Parents with higher levels of media literacy were better equipped to manage their children's media consumption, ensuring that it was aligned with educational objectives and conducive to positive interactions. Furthermore, media-literate parents were more likely to engage in discussions with their children about media content, which not only supported learning but also contributed to a more critical and reflective approach to media consumption. In contrast, parents with limited media literacy struggled to control the content and duration of smart media use, which often led to negative consequences such as exposure to inappropriate content or increased media dependency.

The study also emphasized that the impact of smart media on parent-child interactions is not solely determined by frequency or duration of use, but rather by the context and content of media consumption. The intentional selection of content and the involvement of parents in media-related activities were crucial in ensuring that smart media facilitated productive family interactions. These findings suggest that a nuanced understanding of media use in family life is essential to fully appreciate its effects on child development and family dynamics.

In conclusion, this study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the role of smart media in shaping parent-child relationships in the digital age. While smart media offers considerable potential for enhancing communication and learning, its unregulated or excessive use can lead to adverse outcomes. Therefore, it is essential to promote media literacy among parents and provide guidance on how to integrate smart media effectively into family life. Future research should further investigate the long-term effects of smart media use on family dynamics and develop more targeted interventions to support families in navigating the challenges of digital media consumption. This study underscores the need for a balanced approach to smart media use, one that maximizes its benefits while mitigating potential risks to healthy parent-child interactions.

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