Socio-technical Imaginaries: Envisioning and Understanding AI Parenting Supports through Design Fiction
Abstract
1 Introduction
2 Background and Related Work
2.1 Parenting Education and Technology
2.2 Emerging Technologies in Parenting
Family Informatics.
Real-Time Parenting Supports.
Augmenting Parenting Through Conversational Agents.
2.3 AI Technologies for Mental Well-being
2.4 Design Fiction and World-building
2.5 Summary and Motivation
3 Methodology
3.1 Phase 1. Conceptual Framework Development
3.2 Phase 2. Scenario Development
3.2.1 Populated matrix: 2-dimensional design space.
3.3 Phase 3. Survey Design
3.3.1 Speed Dating.
3.3.2 Participant Demographics.
3.3.3 Data Analysis.
4 Design of the Conceptual Framework (RQ1)
4.1 Overview
Identifying parenting needs | ||
---|---|---|
Reflection. Parental reflection is essential for promoting desired behaviors, appropriately addressing children’s feelings and needs, and foster emotional well-being and resilience [14, 85, 325]. Reflective competences are multilayered [310]. As such, engaging parents with diverse backgrounds and experiences in meaningful reflection remains a challenge [187, 300]. | Self-monitoring. Training parents in self-monitoring (i.e., observe and track their feelings, reactions, behaviors, thoughts, and parenting activities) [136, 184] can help improve family functioning by enabling parents to identify their own vulnerabilities and navigate parenting challenges more effectively [251, 297]. | Knowledge Acquisition & Implementation. Supporting parental knowledge on child development and positive parenting strategies improves their ability to communicate effectively, set appropriate expectations and respond to challenging behaviors [56, 170, 246]. By gaining and applying knowledge, and witnessing positive outcomes, parents can enhance their self-efficacy and confidence [177, 360]. |
Practice for Skill Acquisition & Transfer. PT is effective for skill acquisition (e.g., [121, 181, 231]). Through regular practice and application of skills parents develop a repertoire of responses to various parenting challenges (e.g., limit setting, communication and discipline) – improving the parent-child relationship [140, 182]. However, parents need support with consistently practising and applying the skills in their daily lives [122, 224, 334]. | Dealing with Setbacks. Experiencing adversity can disrupt parenting abilities, increase stress, and lead to child behavioral difficulties [23, 139, 331]. To increase resilience and help parents deal with setbacks means supporting parents to recognize that past skills can be applied to future challenges [223, 311]. In this way, increasing preparedness towards possible setbacks is a way to compensate potential setbacks [289, 339]. | Communication. Family communication and socialization processes are pivotal for children’s social development [193, 194]. Communication training helps parents understand and respond to their children’s needs, emotions, and behaviors [201, 295]. However, less focus has been paid to support co-parenting relationships—that is the collaboration and communication between parents—an important predictor of family functioning and child well-being [96, 158, 236]. |
In the moment support. PT interventions aim to extend behavior change beyond the training setting to new situations and circumstances [40, 255]. While PT programs are effective, they have not always shown success in generalising skills to the home or impacting child behavior in the long term [61, 316]. As such, training parents "to generalise" skills [86, 334] in daily life through in-the-moment,situated interventions [326] can remove the transfer barrier and support natural learning opportunities that fit into everyday routines[82, 355]. | Habit Formation. Supporting parents in establishing family routines helps structure children’s environment whilst creating stability (e.g., establishing bedtime routines to reduce sleep problems) [131]. This helps children develop self-regulatory skills by teaching them that events are predictable and there are rewards for waiting [153, 272]. Finally, habits established in childhood can influence a child’s lifelong behaviors, shaping their approach to responsibilities and relationships [261]. | Conflict Resolution. Marital conflict is typically categorised as destructive (e.g., violence, threats) [95, 233] or constructive (e.g., promoting positive resolution and communication) [97, 148, 233]. Destructive conflict heightens the risk of child adjustment issues, while constructive conflict improves positive development [119, 263]. Training parents to resolve conflict constructively can support the development of children’s adjustment, social skills and overall well-being [166, 336]. |
Identifying role for technology | |
---|---|
Psychoeducation. Providing parents with knowledge of child development stages and positive parenting practices is crucial for promoting positive outcomes in children’s health, education, and well-being [182, 271]. However, for timely and appropriate information delivery [127] it is pivotal to understand the needs and preferences of various parent groups (e.g., high vs. lower Socioeconomic status (SES)) [34, 241]. | Feedback. Feedback in PT is an essential component for enhancing positive parenting practices [182, 353]. Training techniques include modeling, reinforcement, and correction [121, 313]. Programs typically use delayed feedback [178, 179] which however, effective for parenting and attachment [89, 299] limitation in access (due to its personalized nature and reliance on expert support) persist [173]. |
Parent Surrogate. Assistive technology, such as artificial companions (AC) or social robots, could provide an alternative solution for parenting support (e.g., [180, 364, 368]). These intelligent companions can perform various tasks at home, including communication, information exchange, and care-giving [137, 154]. By acting as a "surrogate," technology can automate low-level parenting tasks like homework support and meal planning (e.g., [9, 320]), alleviating parental pressures. | Decision Making Support. Parents face numerous decisions when it comes to caring for their child’s well-being (e.g., deciding how, when, and where to seek support; which parenting strategies to use) [69, 167, 242]. While some decisions can be planned for, unexpected situations can increase emotional challenges [32, 252]. As such, supporting parents deliberative decision-making is pivotal in fostering effective child rearing practices [145, 164]. |
Prediction to explore possible outcomes. Parenting and parent characteristics can predict childrens’ problem behavior [7, 64, 260]. Various models to predict parenting behavior have been developed (e.g., [26, 33, 324]) which (in most cases) suggest the determinants of antisocial and aggressive behavior in children. However, these models carry significant limitations (e.g., accuracy) due to limited data. Technological advancements (i.e., ML) could create more accurate models of parenting determinants and predict/prevent behaviors that cause child maladjustment [75]. | Coaching Coaching parents during parent-child interactions is an important mechanism of change [313]. Coaching utilises a more non-directive approach in supporting parents behavioural changes [138] treating parents as collaborative partners rather than passive recipients of expert advice [288, 341]. The coach helps the learner (parent) reflect on their actions and practices, evaluate their effectiveness, and develop a plan to improve their skills and use them in the future [256, 345]. |
4.2 Putting the Framework into Practice
4.2.1 Creating nine futures using the framework.
4.2.2 Aesthetics and design rationale.
5 Findings
5.1 How do parents react to design fictions of AI assistants for parenting support (RQ2) and what do parents perceive as potential benefits and frictions exist in this emerging design space (RQ3)?
5.1.1 Consider the scenario you just saw: Would you like to live in this future and how likely are you to use it?
5.1.2 Four plausible futures.
Scenario 1: ParentSage.
Scenario 2: SerenityGuidance.
Scenario 3: ParentSense.
Scenario 4: HarmonyHub.
5.1.3 Parent reactions to specific AI features.
Feature | Description of Feature | Positive rating (N) |
---|---|---|
Calming Techniques & Suggestions | The app suggests techniques like deep breathing to empathetically manage tantrums and exercises to improve communication between parent-child. | 56 |
Emotional Release | Speak your frustrations, fears, and worries without judgment, and experience a sense of relief through our spoken diary feature. | 56 |
Master New Skills | Trust in your ability to grow as ParentSage provides personalized tasks, such as creating a special mealtime routine. Armed with practical advice and support, witness the transformation unfold. | 55 |
Child’s Point of View | Channel where children are encouraged to express their feelings and thoughts on specific parenting approaches or situations. This allows parents to understand their children’s needs and preferences better. | 52 |
Personalized & Reliable Feedback | Using an advanced algorithm and evidence-based research, our system provides objective insights that are tailored to your parenting style and challenges, helping you make informed decisions for your child’s development. | 51 |
Reflect & Grow | Parents input their daily routines, interactions with their children, and notable events or challenges. It also includes a mood recording feature using a simple emoji-based system. Finally, guided reflection is offered to gain insights into reactions, biases, and respond compassionately. | 50 |
5.2 Summary
6 Discussion
6.1 Research Agendas for AI and Parenting Support
6.2 Parent Perceptions and Implications
7 Limitations and Future Work
8 Conclusion
Acknowledgments
A Conceptual Framework
A.1 Identifying parenting needs
Reflection.
Self-monitoring.
Knowledge Acquisition and Implementation.
Practice for Skill Acquisition and Transfer.
Dealing with setbacks.
Communication.
In the moment support.
Habit Formation.
Conflict Resolution.
A.2 Identifying the role for technology
Psychoeducation.
Feedback.
Parent Surrogate.
Decision Making Support.
Prediction to explore possible outcomes.
Coaching.
B Graphs
Footnote
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- Socio-technical Imaginaries: Envisioning and Understanding AI Parenting Supports through Design Fiction
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