Mediated grandparenting: How smartphones are embedded in Chinese grandparents’ coparenting practices

Research on children’s smartphone use has largely focused on parental mediation, but grandparents have increasingly participated in childcare in China. Studies on grandparental mediation often leveraged frameworks of parental mediation strategies. However, grandparents’ mediation approaches may differ due to the variation in technology acceptance. Besides, intergenerational conflicts over caregiving and the influence of smartphones on grandparents’ childrearing beliefs may affect their mediation strategies. This study interviewed 30 Chinese grandparents and identified three themes through thematic analysis: (1) grandparents’ regulation of grandchildren’s smartphone use, (2) roles and power in intergenerational caregiving, and (3) the influence of smartphones on their childrearing knowledge. Findings show that Chinese grandparents implement an avoidant strategy, beyond instructive, restrictive, and reciprocal learning strategies. Additionally, intergenerational conflicts often extend from smartphone mediation to the contest for power in the caregiving practices, in which grandparents seek to reconstruct their power by selectively integrating traditional experiential wisdom with scientific knowledge.