Migrant parenting and mobile phone use: Building quality relationships between Chinese migrant workers and their left-behind children

Abstract

This study examines the uses and derived gratifications of mobile phones among migrant parents in communicating with children they left behind. Data were gathered from a sample of 378 migrant parents who worked in factories in southern China. The results show that migrant workers who used mobile phones to assist in distance parenting were motivated by a desire for instantaneous communication (e.g., immediate access and reassurance), online transactions, affection, mobility, relaxation, and information. The demographic results show that the migrant workers tended to communicate with their older male children via calls and text messaging with their female children via audiovisual interaction. When migrant parents called, texted, or interacted with their children via audiovisual functions, they were motivated by the need for affection and relaxation. In predicting the quality of migrant workers’ involvement in parenting, the current study found that significant motives for the use of mobile phones included their ability to care for the children they left behind through communicating instantaneously, expressing affection, and conducting online transactions. The current paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the results of this study.