Exploring the Challenges and Consequences of Maternal Parenting in the Age of Digital Children (Digital Baby Syndrome): A Grounded Theory Study
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Abstract
Objective: One of the important issues affecting parenting is how parents navigate the digital age. The digital age has created the concept of ideal parenting, which can unintentionally distance parents from the real world, preventing them from recognizing their children’s primary needs. Consequently, children may seek alternative spaces to fulfill their needs, which often involve virtual and unreal content, leading to negative effects and consequences. Thus, this study aims to explore the challenges and consequences of parenting in the age of digital children.
Method: This qualitative research was based on grounded theory. The study environment included mothers with children engaged with digital devices in Yazd Province, Iran. Based on theoretical, purposive, and snowball sampling, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and 12 participants were selected until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA software.
Results: Data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory method, including open, axial, and selective coding. From open coding, 450 initial codes were extracted; axial coding yielded 23 subcategories, and selective coding resulted in four main categories: ideal parenting, immersion in cyberspace, lack of self-differentiation (fusion), and unbridled cyberspace. The core category of the digital child was also identified.
Conclusion: Parenting in the digital age can prevent parents from connecting with the real world and understanding the child’s primary needs, directing the child toward spaces away from reality. Many parents are unaware of the challenges and potential problems caused by such spaces.
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13. Cheng C, Lau Y-c, Chan L, Luk JW. Prevalence of social media addiction across 32 nations: Meta-analysis with subgroup analysis of classification schemes and cultural values. Addictive behaviors. 2021;117:106845.
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16. Pérez-Torres V. Social media: a digital social mirror for identity development during adolescence. Current Psychology. 2024;43(26):22170-80.
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18. Kim BS, Chang SM, Park JE, Seong SJ, Won SH, Cho MJ. Prevalence, correlates, psychiatric comorbidities, and suicidality in a community population with problematic Internet use. Psychiatry Res. 2016;244:249-56.
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21. Hilber J. The Power of Resilience: Understanding Student Well-Being through Self Determination Theory 2024.
22. Cotter LM, Shah D, Brown K, Mares ML, Landucci G, Saunders S, et al. Decoding the Influence of eHealth on Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness in Older Adults: Qualitative Analysis of Self-Determination Through the Motivational Technology Model. JMIR Aging. 2024;7:e56923.
23. Tunc-Aksan A, Akbay SE. Smartphone addiction, fear of missing out, and perceived competence as predictors of social media addiction of adolescents. European Journal of Educational Research. 2019;8(2):559-66.
24. Van der Cruijsen R, Peters S, Zoetendaal KPM, Pfeifer JH, Crone EA. Direct and reflected self-concept show increasing similarity across adolescence: A functional neuroimaging study. Neuropsychologia. 2019;129:407-17.
25. Peters S, Van der Cruijsen R, van der Aar LPE, Spaans JP, Becht AI, Crone EA. Social media use and the not-so-imaginary audience: Behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying the influence on self-concept. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2021;48:100921.
26. Gil GJ. Identities and moralities in social networks. A digital ethnography of running in contemporary society. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. 2022;14(4):530-44.
27. Alutaybi A, Arden-Close E, McAlaney J, Stefanidis A, Phalp K, Ali R, editors. How can social networks design trigger fear of missing out? 2019 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (SMC); 2019: IEEE.
28. Casale S, Akbari M, Bocci Benucci S, Seydavi M, Fioravanti G. Interpersonally-based fears and problematic social networking site use: the moderating role of online social support. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2024;22(3):995-1007.
29. Wegener C, Jage-D’Aprile F, Plumeier L. Motherhood in social media: phenomena and consequences of the professionalization of mothers and their media (self-) representation. Feminist Media Studies. 2023;23(7):3222-38.
30. Liddy S, O'Brien A. Media Work, Mothers and Motherhood: Routledge London & New York; 2021.
31. Hammer M, Scheiter K, Stürmer K. New technology, new role of parents: How parents' beliefs and behavior affect students’ digital media self-efficacy. Computers in Human Behavior. 2021;116:106642.
32. Hartas D. The social context of adolescent mental health and wellbeing: Parents, friends and social media. Research Papers in Education. 2021;36(5):542-60.
33. Ostic D, Qalati SA, Barbosa B, Shah SMM, Galvan Vela E, Herzallah AM, et al. Effects of Social Media Use on Psychological Well-Being: A Mediated Model. Front Psychol. 2021;12:678766.
34. Tandon A, Dhir A, Talwar S, Kaur P, Mäntymäki M. Social media induced fear of missing out (FoMO) and phubbing: Behavioural, relational and psychological outcomes. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 2022;174:121149.
35. Pirdehghan A, Khezmeh E, Panahi S. Social Media Use and Sleep Disturbance among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study. Iran J Psychiatry. 2021;16(2):137-45.
36. Mikulincer M, Shaver PR. Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change: Guilford Publications; 2010.
37. Buckingham D. Youth, identity, and digital media: the MIT Press; 2007.
38. Broadbent S. Approaches to personal communication. Digital anthropology: Routledge; 2020. p. 127-45.
39. Moghaddasi R. The effect of play therapy on single-parent children. 2022.
40. Lewis JP. The Routledge Handbook of CoFuturisms. MOSF Journal of Science Fiction. 2025;7(1).
41. Nosova H. Why Do the Imaginary and Imaginary Communities Emerge in Social Theory? National Imaginary in the Context of Globalization. Philosophy. 2024;14(3):129-37.
42. Schrayer A. The Not-So Imaginary Audience: The Impact of Social Media on Identity Development in Adolescent Girls: Roosevelt University; 2022.
43. Drucker J. Imaginary Identities. Oxford University Press; 2022.
44. Pourmovahed Z, Mahmoodabad S, Zareei Mahmoodabadi H, Tavangar H, Ardekani S, Vaezi AA. Family stability and conflict of spiritual beliefs and superstitions among Yazdi people in Iran: A qualitative study. Middle East Journal of Family Medicine. 2017;7(10):97.
45. Panah ZY, Mahmoodabadi HZ, Dehghani F. The role of imaginary companion in the life of only children: a qualitative study. BMC psychiatry. 2023;23(1):843.
2. Perkins JM, Subramanian SV, Christakis NA. Social networks and health: a systematic review of sociocentric network studies in low- and middle-income countries. Soc Sci Med. 2015;125:60-78.
3. Dahlan T, Darhim JD, Juandi D. How Digital Applications as Mathematics Learning Media in The Automation Era. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing. 2022;6(2):199-211.
4. Akram W, Kumar R. A study on positive and negative effects of social media on society. International journal of computer sciences and engineering. 2017;5(10):351-4.
5. Coyne SM, Radesky J, Collier KM, Gentile DA, Linder JR, Nathanson AI, et al. Parenting and Digital Media. Pediatrics. 2017;140(Suppl 2):S112-s6.
6. Beyens I, Keijsers L, Coyne SM. Social media, parenting, and well-being. Curr Opin Psychol. 2022;47:101350.
7. National Academies of Sciences E, Medicine, Division of B, Social S, Education, Board on Children Y, et al. In: Breiner H, Ford M, Gadsden VL, editors. Parenting Matters: Supporting Parents of Children Ages 0-8. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US) Copyright 2016 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.; 2016.
8. Zitzmann J, Rombold-George L, Rosenbach C, Renneberg B. Emotion Regulation, Parenting, and Psychopathology: A Systematic Review. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2024;27(1):1-22.
9. Lin G-X, Mikolajczak M, Keller H, Akgun E, Arikan G, Aunola K, et al. Parenting culture (s): Ideal-parent beliefs across 37 countries. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2023;54(1):4-24.
10. Raval VV. Toward a decolonial parenting science through centering majority world parenting: A commentary on “Parenting culture (s): Ideal-parent beliefs across 37 countries”. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2023;54(1):30-5.
11. Mujazi M, Fadli MR, Rosyid A, Hapudin MS, Rosidi MI, Afwan B. The effect of using social media and fear of missing out on emotional wellbeing in children in the digital age. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn). 2025;19(2):900-8.
12. Stoilova M, Livingstone S, Khazbak R. Investigating Risks and Opportunities for Children in a Digital World: A rapid review of the evidence on children’s internet use and outcomes. 2021.
13. Cheng C, Lau Y-c, Chan L, Luk JW. Prevalence of social media addiction across 32 nations: Meta-analysis with subgroup analysis of classification schemes and cultural values. Addictive behaviors. 2021;117:106845.
14. Steinsbekk S, Wichstrøm L, Stenseng F, Nesi J, Hygen BW, Skalická V. The impact of social media use on appearance self-esteem from childhood to adolescence–A 3-wave community study. Computers in Human Behavior. 2021;114:106528.
15. Smith EM, Minescu A. The imaginary friends of my friends: Imagined contact interventions which highlight supportive social norms reduce children’s antirefugee bias. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations. 2022;25(5):1295-311.
16. Pérez-Torres V. Social media: a digital social mirror for identity development during adolescence. Current Psychology. 2024;43(26):22170-80.
17. ZAREEI MH, Yektafar M, Asadi S. The Prediction of Internet Addiction based on Parental Affection and Social Skills, The Mediating Role of Loneliness in the Ninth Grade Students in Yazd. 2022.
18. Kim BS, Chang SM, Park JE, Seong SJ, Won SH, Cho MJ. Prevalence, correlates, psychiatric comorbidities, and suicidality in a community population with problematic Internet use. Psychiatry Res. 2016;244:249-56.
19. Galderisi S, Heinz A, Kastrup M, Beezhold J, Sartorius N. Toward a new definition of mental health. World Psychiatry. 2015;14(2):231-3.
20. Rini C, Symes Y, Campo RA, Wu LM, Austin J. I Keep my Problems to Myself: Negative Social Network Orientation, Social Resources, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors. Ann Behav Med. 2016;50(3):385-96.
21. Hilber J. The Power of Resilience: Understanding Student Well-Being through Self Determination Theory 2024.
22. Cotter LM, Shah D, Brown K, Mares ML, Landucci G, Saunders S, et al. Decoding the Influence of eHealth on Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness in Older Adults: Qualitative Analysis of Self-Determination Through the Motivational Technology Model. JMIR Aging. 2024;7:e56923.
23. Tunc-Aksan A, Akbay SE. Smartphone addiction, fear of missing out, and perceived competence as predictors of social media addiction of adolescents. European Journal of Educational Research. 2019;8(2):559-66.
24. Van der Cruijsen R, Peters S, Zoetendaal KPM, Pfeifer JH, Crone EA. Direct and reflected self-concept show increasing similarity across adolescence: A functional neuroimaging study. Neuropsychologia. 2019;129:407-17.
25. Peters S, Van der Cruijsen R, van der Aar LPE, Spaans JP, Becht AI, Crone EA. Social media use and the not-so-imaginary audience: Behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying the influence on self-concept. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2021;48:100921.
26. Gil GJ. Identities and moralities in social networks. A digital ethnography of running in contemporary society. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. 2022;14(4):530-44.
27. Alutaybi A, Arden-Close E, McAlaney J, Stefanidis A, Phalp K, Ali R, editors. How can social networks design trigger fear of missing out? 2019 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (SMC); 2019: IEEE.
28. Casale S, Akbari M, Bocci Benucci S, Seydavi M, Fioravanti G. Interpersonally-based fears and problematic social networking site use: the moderating role of online social support. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2024;22(3):995-1007.
29. Wegener C, Jage-D’Aprile F, Plumeier L. Motherhood in social media: phenomena and consequences of the professionalization of mothers and their media (self-) representation. Feminist Media Studies. 2023;23(7):3222-38.
30. Liddy S, O'Brien A. Media Work, Mothers and Motherhood: Routledge London & New York; 2021.
31. Hammer M, Scheiter K, Stürmer K. New technology, new role of parents: How parents' beliefs and behavior affect students’ digital media self-efficacy. Computers in Human Behavior. 2021;116:106642.
32. Hartas D. The social context of adolescent mental health and wellbeing: Parents, friends and social media. Research Papers in Education. 2021;36(5):542-60.
33. Ostic D, Qalati SA, Barbosa B, Shah SMM, Galvan Vela E, Herzallah AM, et al. Effects of Social Media Use on Psychological Well-Being: A Mediated Model. Front Psychol. 2021;12:678766.
34. Tandon A, Dhir A, Talwar S, Kaur P, Mäntymäki M. Social media induced fear of missing out (FoMO) and phubbing: Behavioural, relational and psychological outcomes. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 2022;174:121149.
35. Pirdehghan A, Khezmeh E, Panahi S. Social Media Use and Sleep Disturbance among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study. Iran J Psychiatry. 2021;16(2):137-45.
36. Mikulincer M, Shaver PR. Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change: Guilford Publications; 2010.
37. Buckingham D. Youth, identity, and digital media: the MIT Press; 2007.
38. Broadbent S. Approaches to personal communication. Digital anthropology: Routledge; 2020. p. 127-45.
39. Moghaddasi R. The effect of play therapy on single-parent children. 2022.
40. Lewis JP. The Routledge Handbook of CoFuturisms. MOSF Journal of Science Fiction. 2025;7(1).
41. Nosova H. Why Do the Imaginary and Imaginary Communities Emerge in Social Theory? National Imaginary in the Context of Globalization. Philosophy. 2024;14(3):129-37.
42. Schrayer A. The Not-So Imaginary Audience: The Impact of Social Media on Identity Development in Adolescent Girls: Roosevelt University; 2022.
43. Drucker J. Imaginary Identities. Oxford University Press; 2022.
44. Pourmovahed Z, Mahmoodabad S, Zareei Mahmoodabadi H, Tavangar H, Ardekani S, Vaezi AA. Family stability and conflict of spiritual beliefs and superstitions among Yazdi people in Iran: A qualitative study. Middle East Journal of Family Medicine. 2017;7(10):97.
45. Panah ZY, Mahmoodabadi HZ, Dehghani F. The role of imaginary companion in the life of only children: a qualitative study. BMC psychiatry. 2023;23(1):843.
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| Issue | Articles in Press | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Cyberspace Digital Baby Syndrome Digital Child Grounded Theory Internet Addiction Parenting | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Zareei Mahmoodabadi H, Shamrizi ZS, Mohammadi MR. Exploring the Challenges and Consequences of Maternal Parenting in the Age of Digital Children (Digital Baby Syndrome): A Grounded Theory Study. Iran J Psychiatry. 2025;:1-8.
