Connecting Grandparents and Grandchildren

Grandparent–grandchild relationships are diverse and ever evolving. Effective design of communications technology for them requires consideration of this complexity. This chapter considers grandparent–grandchild relationships from a life-course perspective, with the aim of identifying new opportunities for technology to support them. The grandparent–grandchild relationship is reviewed, discussing why it is important, identifying factors that challenge its success, and outlining its evolution over time. Current technology use is considered with the goal of identifying opportunities for improvement. A number of projects are presented as examples of the breadth of ways in which technology can support different grandparent–grandchild communication needs.

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