Tunas Cendekia : Jurnal Program Studi Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini
Vol. 9 No. 1 (2026): Tunas Cendekia : Jurnal Program Studi Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini

From Face-to-Face to Digital: How Technology Reconfigures Parent-Child Communication

Nadrah Sitorus (STAI Ar-Ridho)
Nurhasanah (STAI Ar-Ridho Bagansiapiapi)
Jemati (STAI Tebing Tinggi Deli)
Junaidi (STAI Ar-Ridho Bagansiapiapi)
Andi Syahputra (STAI Ar-Ridho Bagansiapiapi)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Sep 2026

Abstract

Digital technology has become an integral part of everyday family life, reshaping how parents and children maintain contact, exchange information, and participate in family interaction. Although previous research has extensively examined children's screen use, online risks, and parental mediation, less attention has been given to how digital technology itself reconfigures the communicative relationship between parents and children. This study examines how digital technology influences parent–child communication patterns, the opportunities and challenges it creates, and parents' and children's perceptions of communication quality. A qualitative descriptive design was employed to explore the lived experiences and perspectives of parents and children within the same families. Data were collected through separate semi-structured interviews with parents and children and analyzed thematically. The findings indicate that digital technology has transformed parent–child communication into a hybrid pattern in which digitally mediated and face-to-face interaction coexist. Digital communication increases accessibility, facilitates rapid information exchange, supports everyday coordination, and enables family members to remain connected across physical distance. At the same time, device-related distraction, divided attention, interruptions, and predominantly functional exchanges can limit sustained interpersonal interaction. The findings further indicate that communication quality is shaped not simply by the frequency of technology use but by responsiveness, attention, emotional connection, reciprocity, and the fit between the communication medium and the communicative purpose. Parents and children may also interpret the same technology-mediated practices differently, particularly in relation to monitoring, availability, and device-related boundaries. The study argues that digital technology does not inherently strengthen or weaken parent–child communication; rather, it reconfigures the conditions under which family communication takes place. Digital and face-to-face communication consequently function as complementary but distinct modes of contemporary family interaction.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

tunascendekia

Publisher

Subject

Arts Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Mathematics Neuroscience Physics Social Sciences Other

Description

TUNAS CENDEKIA: Jurnal Program Studi Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini is a double-blind peer-reviewed open access journal. This journal provides publication of articles covering the results of early childhood education research, including; development of moral and religious values, physical motor ...