Genitori zerosei anni e tecnologie tra percezione d’uso e datificazione: i trend nei Rapporti Cisf 2017, 2019, 2022 e 2024

This study contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationship between digital technologies and early childhood (0-6 years) by analyzing data on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) from the 2017, 2020, 2022, and 2024 reports of the International Family Studies Center (CISF). The dataset, representative of the Italian population based on gender, age, geographical distribution, municipality size, and family structure, was filtered to include only households with at least one child aged 0-6 years. By examining longitudinal trends (2017-2024) in key indicators – namely, the average levels of digital media enjoyment and perceived constraints, the heteronomy index, and the classification of user profiles (marginalized, constrained, adapted, and hybridized) – the study outlines the evolving parental attitudes toward digital technology. Findings indicate a growing inclination toward media enjoyment, often accompanied by a sense of necessity-driven constraint. These trends suggest that the “hybridized family”, characterized by an integration of interpersonal relationships with technology-mediated interactions, is increasingly evolving into a “postdigital family” within a data-driven environment. The second part of the study, leveraging the 2024 CISF dataset on families with at least one child aged 0-6, investigates the extent to which Artificial Intelligence has permeated Italian households. This analysis employs the Artificial Intelligence Homing Index (AIHI), with a focus on voice assistants (smart speakers), home automation, and other Internet of Things applications for domestic use. The findings, together with historical trends in Italian family structures, offer insights for media education research, particularly in relation to the concept of “domestication”.