ABSTRACT
This chapter reports the results of three exploratory studies of families’ smartphone use in the US and China and the extent to which smartphone use may be affecting changes to the family system itself (change 2.0). Results studies show smartphones are definitely in use in the US and China, but the results also suggest smartphones may not yet be significantly affecting fundamental family communication processes, and smartphone integration into families is certainly not the same. Results also indicate smartphones are used differently in different families. Sometimes, for some members (mostly younger), in some families (e.g., conformity-oriented), smartphones are used to escape from family communication. Fundamental changes take time to overcome the ways we have always done things. This chapter provides evidence that different generations of family members are approaching/avoiding these changes differently, with younger generations leading the way with some changes never be realized.
