Sharing culture in a tech world: Grandparent–grandchild cultural exchanges over video chat.

Grandparents who were separated from their infant grandchildren during COVID-19 sought other ways to connect, including video chat. Video chat supports learning, and its features (e.g., contingent responsiveness) may allow for cultural exchange. However, technological problems may disrupt these exchanges. In a semi-naturalistic, longitudinal study, 47 families submitted up to three video chats and surveys. Families were predominantly White/Caucasian, highly-educated, and lived between 1 and 2700 miles apart. Multilevel models were used to predict the proportion of the sessions devoted to exchanging culture (e.g., holidays, parenting advice) and managing tech problems. Culture exchange did not change as a function of infant age, video chat experience, or when encountering tech problems. Although only marginally statistically significant, culture exchange increased as distance increased. Tech problems changed as a function of tech talk. A qualitative analysis revealed that cultural transmission occurred via a culture of care and sharing of information across video chat, that families adapted their behaviors to the new technology, and that technology disruptions rarely interfered with the flow of information. These findings demonstrate the ability to share culture when physically separated and in the presence of tech disruptions. Further, this study supports previous work on the emerging culture of video chat. Families adapted to being separated, and grandparents and infants successfully communicated through a new modality. Because video chat supports family relationships, equitable access to high-speed internet should be a priority to enable more families to use it

Zooming through development: Using video chat to support family connections.

Video chat may allow young children and grandparents to develop and maintain bonds when they are physically separated because it enables them to share experiences with each other in real time. We used an ecological model framework (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2007) to examine factors associated with the development of the grandparent-grandchild relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many families were experiencing reduced opportunities for in-person interaction. We analyzed survey data from grandparents (N = 855) and parents (N = 846) of children ages 0-5 years. Predictor variables included participant characteristics (age and education level), proximity variables (geographical distance and whether grandparents had met their grandchildren in person), as well as video chat-specific factors (e.g., frequency of video chats, activities used during video chats). The frequency of video chat and the variety of behaviors engaged in during the video chats predicted grandparents’ feelings of closeness to their grandchild as well as grandparents’ and parents’ enjoyment of family video chats. These predictors were statistically significant after controlling for participant characteristics and physical proximity, suggesting that when families are separated (e.g., due to pandemics, deployment, geographic distance, etc.) family video chats may help to build and maintain grandparent-grandchild connections in an enjoyable way. One future implication is that family video chat may introduce children to the connection between screen and world, a supportive first step in understanding and using technology