Reconstructing Parental Roles in the Era of Digital Care: A Comparative Case Study of the United States, Finland, and China

This study conducts a comparative case study of the United States, Finland, and China to examine how parental roles are being reconstructed in digital environments and how this reconstruction relates to parent–child relationships. The data consisted of academic articles, government and policy documents, research reports, and materials from relevant organizations and were collected and analyzed through document analysis. The analytical framework comprised four categories: characteristics of the digital environment, changes in parental roles, parent education and care support systems, and changes in parent–child relationships. Both within-case and cross-case analyses were conducted. The findings are as follows. First, the expansion of digital technology did not weaken parental roles but rather reconstructed them as educational partners supporting children’s learning and digital experiences. Second, patterns of digital care differed according to cultural values, educational philosophies, and parent education policies. Based on the relative characteristics identified in the analyzed materials, the United States, Finland, and China were conceptualized as participatory, collaborative, and managerial types of digital care, respectively. Third, these patterns represent analytical types grounded in sociocultural contexts, suggesting that digital care is shaped by sociocultural and institutional contexts rather than determined solely by technology. This study provides an analytical framework for understanding the reconstruction of parental roles from the perspective of digital care and offers a basis for enhancing parental digital literacy and developing parent education programs and related policies