Media and Communication Research

Media and Communication Research

The Phenomenology of Digital Nannying in Families (Case Study: Mothers of Infants Aged Six Months to Two Years)

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Bahareh Nasiri
Associate Professor, Research Department of Women’s Studies, Research Center for Social Studies, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/mcr.2025.466408.1062
Abstract
The discussion on digital nannying in media parenting literature is still in its early stages. Studying lived experiences can play a crucial role in understanding and developing this field. This phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of ten participating mothers with the aim of exploring and describing digital nannying. The study employs semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling for data collection. The analysis process was conducted at three major levels. At the third level, after synthesizing conceptual perspectives, five key themes related to digital nannying, four themes concerning screen usage, and eleven themes regarding strategies and solutions were identified. At the second level, coherent narratives were categorized into digital nannying, media tools, strategies, and solutions. At the first and most abstract level, a structural integration of these narratives was performed. The findings indicate that the widespread presence and use of digital media tools in childcare have led to the emergence of a "digital nannying" culture. This phenomenon necessitates a redefinition of parent-child relationships and the social responsibilities of parents towards their children. The final results, derived from mothers’ lived experiences, highlight four primary ways in which mothers use digital media for their children: screens as backgrounds, digital babysitters, digital pacifiers, and a set of childcare tools..
Keywords
Digital nannying
digital tools
mothers
infants aged six months to two years
phenomenological approach
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