Parenting/Internet/Kids

Parenting/Internet/Kids, with three key terms slashed together, conveys the idea that the practice of parenting may extend both to the Internet and to our children – to the extent that both require attention, care and forms of regulation, and, in turn, provide support and enjoyment. While the triadic title is somewhat playful, it also strikes a serious note and introduces layered possibilities: we are not simply raising children who have grown up in the internet age, but also Domesticating Technologies by “managing” the computer (relatively young in age, too, having established itself in homes in the 1980s). Including perspectives from scholars and parents living in Australia, Canada, India, Japan, the UK and the USA, the collection examines how the intimate presence of computer technology in our homes and on our bodies affects not only mothers and parenting, but family life more broadly. Some chapters consider questions of domestic labour and parental responsibilities. Others focus on how children use and are influenced by the internet and social media, whether for positive or troubling outcomes. The volume ends by pressing the question of how regulation might be responsive to a global world of differing contexts and perceptions.