Chinese children's perspectives of long-distance familyhood via WeChat

• Published in: Journal of children and media 2024-04, Vol.18 (2), p.254-271
• Main Author: Han, Xiaoying
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child development; Children & youth; Chinese culture; Chinese separated families; Communication; COVID-19; Digital transmission; Families & family life; family relationships; Left-behind children; mediated communication; Migration; Parent-child relations; Social networks; WeChat
• ISSN: 1748-2798; 1748-2801
• DOI: 10.1080/17482798.2024.2308096

There is growing public concern in China about the large number of children whose parents have left them behind because of massive rural-to-urban labor migration over the past few decades. It is estimated that there were 61 million left-behind children in China in 2018. Because of the prevalence of instant communication applications, such as WeChat, left-behind children in China can maintain family relationships with their migrant parents through social media. This study examines how left-behind children use WeChat to sustain long-distance family relationships. Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the research involved online interviews with ten children and ten online workshops with thirty-one child participants. The data collected from the workshops and interviews suggest that a gap still exists between children's communication needs and the technological affordances of social media. Mediated communications via WeChat are not always child-friendly and can have implications for the success or failure of parent-child communication in Chinese separated families. Despite these challenges, children demonstrate creativity in navigating the uncertainties of long-distance communication and relationships. However, this process is strewn with difficulties that the adult family members in the participant families have overlooked. Prior State of Knowledge: Studies of multi-local families have traditionally concentrated on migrant parents; far less research has examined the perspectives of children. In particular, very little research has focused on the perspectives via social media of children in families across large distances. Novel Contributions: This study identifies three important aspects that matter to children's experiences of long-distance familyhood. They are children's media literacy, difficulties, and creativity. The research design advocates for child-centered approaches and caters to children's attention spans, communication skills, and literacy levels. Practical Implications: This study demonstrates that children's difficulties in online communication have been overlooked. By considering children's unique communication needs, parents, carers, and platform designers can work together to create more child-friendly communication environments and facilitate children's digital engagement.