Mobile Communication and Children

The shift from mobile phones to smartphones, which integrate mobile communication, social media, and geo-locative services, expands the scope of mobile communication and opens up new opportunities for young people, as well as new risks. However, research on the adoption and use of smartphones among young people is still sparse. Therefore, the consequences of smartphone use on children’s communica- tive cultures and relational practices remain yet to be explored. Drawing on the consistent literature on children and mobile communication and on the findings of preliminary research on younger users’ domestication of smart mobile devices, the present chapter discusses the implications of mobile media use amongst young people in the light of the changes associated with smartphones and the mobile Internet.