Authors : Inaku K. Egere; William N. Ozuluonye

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/3nnamcxe

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/378aec6m

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26May012

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : The family ecosystem has come under the sweeping influence of digital technology, raising new questions about the traditional values and interactive patterns in the family dynamics. This study, digital technology reshaping family life: exploring the effects of phone usage in parent-child communication in Anambra State, South-Eastern Nigeria, is an attempt to address some of these pertinent questions. The study was guided by two objectives, which are to discover how digital technology militates against effective parent-child communication and explore the responses of parents on the issue of technology use in parent-child communication. Attachment theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. A questionnaire instrument was employed to collect data from 291 respondents who constituted the study sample. They included parents and children purposefully chosen from the 14 local communities in Aanmbra State, South-Eastern Nigeria. Data analysis was done using frequency tables, mean and standard deviation. The findings of the study revealed that phone use in the family disrupts parent-child communication and exposes children to uncensored information. It also showed that parents mediate phone use in the family through counseling, restrictive and spiritual exercises. The study recommended that parents undertake regular evaluation of their phone use mediation strategies in line with the ever-changing social reality that shapes the family value system. The study concluded by highlighting the centrality of creating awareness of the potentials and dangers of phone use among parents and children to enable them to manage and appreciate other phone use mediation practices.

Keywords : Digital, Technology, Communication, Family, Parent-Child, Smartphone.

References :

1. Adedeji, F. & Alaburu, D. (n.d). Challenges of digital parenting in family communication in Nigeria. Retrieved November 11, 2024 from https://www.academia.edu>
2. African Union (1999). African charter on the rights and welfare of the child. 26^th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Government of OAU. https://www.au.int
3. Agar, J. (2018). Technology, environment and modern Britain: Historiography and intersections. In J. Agar & J. Ward (Eds.). Histories of technology, the environment and modern Britain. (pp. 1-21). UCL Press.   
4. Anderson, K. E. (2016). Getting acquainted with social networks and apps: Instagram’s instant appeal. Library High Tech News, 33(3), 11-15.
5. Arslan, A. (2023). Characteristics, types and functions of family concept. African Educational Research Journal, 11(1), 45-48.
6. Barbuta, A., Ghetau, C. & Iovu, M-B. (2023). Digital technology and family dynamics: The 3Rs conceptual model regarding the acceptance and use of digital technology in everyday         family routines. Intersections, East European Journal of Society and Politics, 9(1), 120-      144.
7. Berrie,m C. K., Bartkowski, J. P. & Haverda, T. (2019). The digital divide among parents and their emerging adult children: Intergenerational accounts of technologically assisted family communications. Social Sciences, 8(83), 1-30.          
8. Brinkhoff, T. (2022). Aguata Local Government Area: Population. City Population. https://www.citypopulation.de
9. Catholic Church (1997). The catechism of the Catholic Church. Paulines Publication.
10. Chu, J., Qaisar, S., Shah, Z. & Jalil, A. (2021). Attention or distraction? The impact of mobile phone on users’ psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-12.     
11. Davis, A. (2024 April 1). Beyond the screen: How excessive digital use impacts family dynamics. Clearfork Academy. https://www.clearforkacademy.com
12. Delicata, N. (2016). The family and the dominant technocratic paradigm: Challenges in the digital culture. In J. Stala, & J. Garmaz (Eds.). Strenthening families, (pp. 223-250). Krakow Press.
13. Dirgha, R. J., Umesh, N., Jitendra, K. S., Bishnu, K. & Shashidhar, B. (2021). Effects of using digital devices on food consumption amonguniversity students of Nepal. International Research Journal of MMC (IRJMMC), 2(4), 36-54.     
14. Egere, I. K., & Obasi, M. C. (2022). Communicating the faith of the church as the family of God. [Conference paper], CIWA Theology week Conference, pp. 631-649.
15. Egieluwa, P. E. & Umolu, P. E. (2022). Digital mediated communication: Effect of smartphone use in on family communication in Nigeria. International Journal of Arts and Technology, 14(3), 206-223.
16. Emmanuel, B. O., Momoh, N. T., Zubair, Z. O., & Ehindero, M. (2025). Parental mediation strategies of teenagers’ social media usage: A qualitative study. IMSU Journal of Communication Studies, 9(2), 136-146.
17. Ferdous, H. S., Ploderer, B., Davis, H., Vetere, F. & O’Hara, K. (2015). Pairing technology and meals: A contextual enquiry in the family household. Conference Paper. https://doi.org/10.1145/2838739.2838780
18. Feric, M. (2024). The relationship between family characteristics and adolescent perception of the quality of family communication. Adolescents, 4, 75-89.
19. Gao, F., Xu, C. & Han, L. (2024). Parent-child communication and educational anxiety: A longitudinal analysis based on the common fate model. BMC Psychology, 12 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02093-x
20. Harlow, E. (2021). Attachment theory: Developments, debates and recent applications in social work. Social Care and Education Journal of Social Work Practice, 35(1), 79-91.      
21. Hidayah, N., Lestari, G. D. & Artha, I. K. (2021). Parent and child communication patterns in early childhood emotional social development. [Conference paper]. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 618, 1130-1135.     
22. Hiniker, A. & Schoenebeck, S. Y. (2016). Not at the dinner table: Parents’ and children’s perspectives on family technology rules. Conference Paper. https://dx.doi.org/10.1145/28/8048.2819940
23. Juffer, F., B-Kranenburg, M. J. & Ijzendroorn, M. H. (eds.) (2023). Promoting positive parenting: An attarchment-based intervention. Routledge Publ.  
24. Kyalo, J. (2024). The impact of communication technology on family dynamics. Journal of Communication (JCOMM), 3(1), 1-16.
25. Leaver, T. (2015). Born digital? Presence, privacy and intimate surveillance. In J. Hartley & W. Qu (Eds.). Re-orientation: Translingual transcultural transmedia studies in narrative language, identity and knowledge, (pp. 149-160). Fudan University Press.
26. Morandin, G., Russo, M. & Ollier-Malaterre, P. (2018). Put down that phone! Smart use of smartphones for work and beyond. Journal of Management Inquiry, 27(3), 52-56.       
27. NaijaDetails (2025). Facts about Anambra State population. https://naijadetails.com
28. Nurul, N., Aida, S., Nor, H., Fauziah, I. & Adi, F. (2022). Effects of digital technology on adolescents. In M. Shaveta, B. Rohit & K. T. Amit (eds.). Impact and the role of digital technologies in adolescent lives. (pp. 1-18). IGI Global Publications.
29. Nwobodo, R. E. E. (2024). Impact of technology on African family relationships: Analysing the influence of digital communication. Amamihe Journal of Applied Philosophy, 22(4), 1-11.        
30. Okhueleigbe, O. A. (2025). Dynamics of family communication. Adoption House Publishing.
31. Ollier-Malaterre, A., Jacobs, J. A. & Rothbard, N. P. (2019). Technology, work and family: Digital cultural capital and boundary management. Annual Review Sociology, 45, 425-                               447. 
32. Pope Francis (2016). Post-Synodal apostolic exhortation on love in the family (Amoris laetitia) https://www.vatican.va
33. Pope Pius XII (1957). Motion pictures, radio and television (Miranda prorsus). in F. J. Eilers (1997). Church and social communication: Basic documents, (pp. 23-54). logos Publication.
34. Pramono, F. (2020). Analysis of family’s communication pattern and the benefits of mother school programme for building a harmonious family. Informasi, 50(1), 1-14.
35. Selak, M. B., Merkas, M., & Ivankovic, A. Z. (2025). Effects of parents’ smartphone use on children’s emotions, behaviour, and subjective well-being. European Journal of           Investigative Health Psychological Education, 15(1), 1-17.
36. Singh, M. K. K. & Samah, N. A. (2018). Impact of smartphone: A review on positive and negative effects on students. Asian Social Science, 14(11), 83-89.
37. Smock, P. J. & Schwartz, C. R. (2020). The demography of families: A review of patterns and change. J. Marriage Fam., 82(1), 9-34. 
38. Syahril, R., Priatna, P, Hutomo, A. & Wutandari, S. (2024). The impact of technology on family communication. Golden Ratio of Data in Summary, 4(2), 1-9.                
39. Tadpatrikar, A., Sharma, M. K. & Viswanath, S. S. (2021). Influence of technology usage on family communication patterns and functioning: A systematic review. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 58.
40. Tanil, C. T. & Yong, M. H. (2020 August 13). Mobile phones: The effect of its presence on learning and memory. Plos One, 15(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219233
41. United Nations (2025). Convention on the rights of child text. Unicef fir Every Child. https://www.unicef.org
42. United Nations (2020). The impact of digital technologies. Retrieved December 9, 2024 from https://www.un.org/UN75 
43. Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A. & Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain drains: The mere presence of one’s own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity. The Consumer in a Connected World, 2(2), 140-154.
44. Williamson, K. (2025). 5 ways technology has negatively affected families. Howstuffworks https://www.howstuffworks.com
45. Zapf, H., Boettcher, J., Haukeland, Y., Orm, S., Coslar, S., W-Grefe, S, & Fiermestad, K. (2022).           A systematic review of parent-child communication measures: Instruments and their            psychometric properties. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev., 26(1), 121-142.
46. Zhang, Y. (2020). Quality matters more than quantity: Parent-child communication and adolescents’ academic performance. Frontiers in Pssychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01203