Section Article

Changing Family Dynamics in the Age of Smartphones
Author(s): Dr. Manish Godbole

Abstract
Smartphones have emerged as the most transformative technological artefact of the twenty-first century reshaping interpersonal communication patterns of social interaction daily routines and even the emotional structures that govern family life. The shift from face-to-face conversations to screen-mediated communication has drastically altered how individuals spend time together share responsibilities express affection and connect emotionally within family structures. In the context of India where collectivist values interdependent relationships and strongly embedded cultural expectations traditionally shaped familial interactions the expansion of smartphones has produced both profound opportunities and complex challenges. Smartphones enable families to stay connected across distances support migrant family members enhance access to education and health information and create new avenues for participation in digital governance. However smartphones have simultaneously disrupted existing family norms by contributing to communication gaps reduced quality time digital addiction cyber-risks privacy conflicts attention fragmentation and weakening intergenerational bonds. The growing influence of social media platforms has intensified comparison culture emotional volatility conflict over screen-time boundaries and disagreements regarding online behaviour among different age groups. Parents increasingly navigate dilemmas related to children’s exposure to online content academic decline due to excessive device usage and issues of digital safety. Elderly members frequently struggle with technological alienation leading to subtle emotional distance despite physical proximity.