Understanding Pakistani Mothers’ Use and Non-Use of Screen Media-based Devices: Gratifications, Strategies, and Design Implications

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems or Challenges: The authors conducted a study on how mothers in Pakistan use or restrict screen media devices (SMDs) in parenting. The main issues include balancing mothers' needs and concerns regarding SMDs, achieving goals such as religious education, cultural transmission, and parent-child interaction through these devices, and the strategies employed to limit their use.
• Significance: Excessive screen use may negatively impact early childhood development, such as reducing physical activity, impairing language skills, and increasing dependency. In developing countries, mothers, as primary caregivers, make decisions influenced by complex factors such as family, religion, and culture. Studying these decisions is crucial for designing culturally relevant technological solutions.
• Research Motivation and Related Work: Existing literature primarily focuses on digital parenting behaviors in high-income countries, with limited research on mothers in the Global South, particularly in Pakistan. Furthermore, the needs of mothers regarding SMDs have not been adequately integrated with their cultural values and religious beliefs.

Proposed Solution

• Proposed Solution: The authors propose a framework based on the "Uses and Gratifications Theory" to study how mothers use SMDs to meet their children's needs and the restrictive measures they adopt when these needs are unmet. Additionally, the authors introduce the concept of "Value-Driven SMD Use" (VDSU), which emphasizes supporting mothers' values and goals through technology.
• Innovative Aspects:
  1. Focus on how cultural, religious, and family factors in the Global South influence digital parenting decisions.
  2. Introduction of the VDSU concept, enabling technology to better align with users' cultural contexts.
  3. Provision of targeted design recommendations for developing culturally appropriate digital content and management tools.
• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques: The study employs a mixed-methods approach, including interviews with 22 mothers and an online survey with 58 specific questions to collect qualitative and quantitative data on SMD usage. Analytical steps include open coding, axial coding, and pattern recognition, culminating in the identification of key themes.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:
  1. Mothers primarily use SMDs to meet children's needs for religious education, cultural learning, early development, and family bonding.
  2. Management strategies employed by mothers include time management, device and platform restrictions, role modeling, and encouraging non-screen activities.
  3. Children's motivations for SMD use revolve around social connection, self-expression, entertainment, and imitating parental behaviors.
  4. The study identifies a trend where mothers prioritize meaningful SMD activities, referred to as "Value-Driven SMD Use" (VDSU).
• Advantages:
  1. Compared to existing research, this study focuses on the specific needs of mothers shaped by religious and cultural influences, rather than general parenting or technological impacts.
  2. The data highlights not only mothers' concerns but also their creative use of SMDs (e.g., video calls, educational content).
  3. The study offers targeted design recommendations and guidance relevant to the context of developing countries.
• Experimental and Evaluation Results:
  1. The survey reveals that approximately 50% of children are exposed to SMDs by the age of 1, with an average screen time of 1-3 hours per day, primarily for educational or entertainment purposes.
  2. Most mothers prefer free, diverse content platforms like YouTube over paid services like Netflix.
  3. Interviews show that 85% of mothers wish to reduce children's SMD use but also acknowledge the potential value of SMDs in promoting education and family connections.
  4. Mothers place significant emphasis on content aligning with cultural values, such as avoiding programs that promote excessive consumerism or cultural incongruence.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limitations:
    1. The sample primarily includes individuals with access to digital devices, potentially overlooking low-income groups or mothers without technological exposure.
    2. The study is limited to Muslim families, failing to address parenting needs in diverse religious contexts.
  • Future Directions:
    1. Further exploration of SMD use among mothers in other developing regions to validate and expand the study's generalizability.
    2. Development of digital content and smarter parental control tools aligned with religious, cultural, and educational goals.
    3. Consideration of the multidimensional influences among parents, grandparents, and children.